5. Department of Homeland Security · Notable · Needs Congress
Eliminate the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
Printed page 166 5. Department of Homeland Security
“CISOMB. The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman should be eliminated. … This would require a statutory change to Section 452 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.”
What has happened
- Attempted
DHS issued reduction-in-force notices to all employees of the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, along with CRCL and the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. The Quote says eliminating CISOMB requires amending section 452 of the Homeland Security Act; Congress has not, and the office survived the cuts -- it is still on the DHS organizational chart of 2026-05-19 and DHS sought renewed OMB clearance for its Request for Case Assistance form (DHS Form 7001) on 2025-09-25, seeking an extension rather than any revision. Executive downsizing that leaves the statutory office standing and working is `attempted`, not `partial`.
Research log
What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence
Research notes
This is the pair to #445 and the contrast that makes the two Statuses legible: both offices were RIFed on the same day, but OIDO went dark and came off the organizational chart, while CISOMB is still on the chart and still taking cases. Same instrument, different outcome, different Status.
- DHS also posted notices in May 2025 saying each of the three offices “continues to exist and will perform its statutorily required functions” (Government Executive, 2025-05-27, read).
- One negative search covered CRCL, the Privacy Office and the two ombudsmen together.
- Action
- eliminate
- Object
- Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
- ID
- 448