Our History

Federal oversight of immigration began in 1891when Congress created the first Office of Immigration in the Treasury Department.

As immigration grew over the following decadesso did the duties of federal immigration employees. By 1906lawmakers voted to reform the nation’s pathway to citizenshipand the Bureau of Immigration added oversight of naturalization to its responsibilities.

The next major transformation came in 1933during the Great Depressionwhen the president ordered the consolidation of federal immigration and naturalization functions into the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). INS oversaw the immigration processenforcementand border patrol activities for 70 years until Congress passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

On March 12003U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services assumed responsibility for the immigration service functions of the federal government. USCIS was founded to enhance the security and efficiency of national immigration services by focusing exclusively on the administration of benefit applications. The Homeland Security Act created Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to oversee immigration enforcement and border security.