Riverside County Congressional Delegation Seeks Hearing to Improve Efficiency and Communication with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Washington DC – Earlier today, members of the Riverside County Congressional Delegation (Rep. Mark Takano [D-Riverside], Rep. Ken Calvert [R-Corona], Rep. Raul Ruiz [D-Palm Desert], and Rep. Duncan Hunter [R-Temecula]) sent a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers requesting hearings regarding recent struggles EB-5 regional centers in the Riverside area have been having with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

 

In the letter, the Members of Congress detail the issues EB-5 regional centers are having with the USCIS saying, “Unfortunately, our EB-5 centers have experienced difficulties working with USCIS. According to Riverside County, ‘calls and emails to the USCIS Ombudsman are not returned, and emails to employees regarding status updates on applications are ignored. These delays are severely impacting international investor confidence…[and] translate into a lack of job creation in our county and all loss of investment capital here.’”

 

“Riverside County has been hit hard since the beginning of the recession, but the EB-5 investor program has proven to be a bright spot in our local economy,” said Rep. Mark Takano (CA-41). “The problems these regional centers are having with the USCIS need to be resolved. I urge Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers to schedule hearings so these communication issues are examined and rectified as soon as possible.”

 

"For over 10 years, the EB-5 program has attracted capital investment in businesses across the country helping to create jobs right here in Riverside County," said Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-36). "As our economy continues to recover, its critical that USCIS and EB-5 regional centers work together to ensure international investment is not interrupted. This hearing would go a long way toward identifying and correcting these issues.”

 

The EB-5 program provides visa's for international investors who invest a minimum of $500,000.00 in a business in the County of Riverside and create a minimum of 10 new jobs within the county workforce. 

 

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors launched its EB-5 Visa investment campaign in March 2009. Today, 1/5th of the nation's EB-5 Centers call Riverside County home and are funding public and private sector projects. Each of the county's 28 cities have benefited directly from the EB-5 investor programs.

 

 

September 17, 2013

 

 

The Honorable Bob Goodlatte

Chairman

Committee on the Judiciary

U.S. House of Representatives

2138 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

 

The Honorable John Conyers

Ranking Member

Committee on the Judiciary

U.S. House of Representatives

B-351 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

 

Dear Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers:

 

We request that the House Judiciary Committee hold hearings to examine the customer service, communication, and wait time issues that prospective and established EB-5 regional centers in Riverside County have been experiencing when dealing with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

 

The EB-5 regional center program has played an essential role in Riverside County’s economy. In fact, twenty percent of the nation’s EB-5 regional centers are located in Riverside County, and each of the 28 cities in the county has felt the positive effects.

 

Unfortunately, our EB-5 centers have experienced difficulties working with USCIS. According to Riverside County, “calls and emails to the USCIS Ombudsman are not returned, and emails to employees regarding status updates on applications are ignored. These delays are severely impacting international investor confidence…[and] translate into a lack of job creation in our county and all loss of investment capital here.” Additionally, the approval process for new EB-5 centers now averages a full year. The federal government should be helping these job creators, not hindering them.

 

In May, we sent a letter to USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas detailing these bureaucratic issues and urging USCIS to take action. However, we feel that further exploration into these issues by your committee is needed.

 

Again, we respectfully ask that the House Judiciary Committee hold hearings to examine the operation of the EB-5 program and how it can be improved.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

KEN CALVERT (CA-42)                                                                     

Member of Congress

 

DUNCAN HUNTER (CA-50)

Members of Congress                                               

 

RAUL RUIZ, M.D. (CA-36)                                                                

Member of Congress

 

MARK TAKANO (CA-41)

Member of Congress

 

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