The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has stopped using its insignia featuring the image of the Statue of Liberty. This decision marks a shift in the agency’s branding and visual identity, although the exact reasoning behind the change has not been fully detailed by USCIS.
Previously, on September 25, 2024, USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou revealed the new USCIS insignia at an agency-wide town hall in Los Angeles, California. During the event, Jaddou stated that the insignia, an image of the Statue of Liberty, was designed to reflect the agency’s culture and provide a visual link to USCIS’s core values and long-term goals. The Statue of Liberty had long been associated with the agency’s mission of processing immigration and naturalization services, symbolizing freedom and opportunity for immigrants coming to the United States.
However, within a couple of days after President Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term on January 20, 2025, USCIS discontinued the use of the Statue of Liberty insignia. On January 22, 2025, USCIS replaced the Statue of Liberty insignia on its social media platforms with the previous U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) logo. Then, on January 24, 2025, the change was reflected on its official website.
The agency has since adopted the previous U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) logo. While the exact reason for this change has not been officially linked to the new administration’s policies, it is seen as having symbolic implications.
USCIS Eliminates Mission Statement Page from Its Website
During the Biden administration, USCIS revised its mission statement, reversing a change made under the Trump administration. Now, the Trump administration has removed the mission statement page from the USCIS website.
Before the Trump administration’s changes in February 2018, the USCIS mission statement described the U.S. as a “nation of immigrants,” focusing on the agency’s role in administering lawful immigration and citizenship benefits fairly while supporting immigrants through the process.
The pre-2018 statement was longer and more descriptive, emphasizing inclusivity, fairness, and the balance between maintaining system integrity and welcoming newcomers. It reflected a view of immigration as a core part of the nation’s identity, aiming to support both immigrants and citizens while ensuring security.
In February 2018, the Trump administration revised the USCIS mission statement, marking a significant shift in tone and focus. The phrase “nation of immigrants” was removed, and the statement adopted a more hardline stance, emphasizing “safeguarding the integrity” of the immigration system and “securing the homeland.” This version was shorter and more rigid, prioritizing the protection of American workers and national security over welcoming immigrants.
The language framed immigration as a potential risk, aligning with the administration’s broader enforcement-oriented immigration policies. This change was widely seen as a reflection of the Trump administration’s tougher approach to immigration, focusing on control rather than integration or support for newcomers.
Under the Biden administration, the USCIS mission statement was revised again to restore a more inclusive and welcoming tone, balancing security with respect and support for immigrants, while also introducing explicit core values like integrity, respect, and ingenuity. Each statement reflects the broader immigration policies and priorities of the respective administrations.
It outlined goals such as strengthening security, providing effective customer-oriented services, supporting immigrants’ integration, and operating as a high-performance organization. The Biden-era statement also introduced explicit core values—integrity, respect, and ingenuity—while addressing security through a section on vigilance. This version, shorter than the pre-Trump statement but more detailed than the Trump-era one in terms of values, sought to balance security with a humanitarian approach, emphasizing dignity, fairness, and inclusivity in the treatment of immigrants.
Now, the Trump administration has removed the mission statement page from the USCIS website entirely, signaling a further shift in how the agency’s role and priorities are communicated to the public. Without a publicly available mission statement, USCIS’s guiding principles and tone are less transparent, leaving stakeholders, immigrants, and citizens to infer the agency’s direction from its actions and policies rather than from a clearly stated vision.
Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
