It's Friday afternoon, the time when the government announces things that it must announce, but is reluctant to do so. This time it is USCIS dropping the other shoe and saying that it will close 13 of its 20 field offices overseas. The closings were predicted by earlier press releases.
Frankfurt, London, and Seoul are among those on the chopping block. Offices in Beijing, Guangzhou (aka Canton), Guatemala City, Mexico City, Nairobi, New Delhi, and San Salvador will remain open.
So much for the special relationship with the UK. And welcome to the new focus on the Northern Triangle.
USCIS says it will save money this way. Immigration attorneys worry that processing times will increase. These offices have been focused on granting benefits rather than law enforcement.
Some very senior civil servants, who waited a long time before getting that berth in London or Rome, are going to be very upset.