News has emerged this week that the White House will also take sweeping action to close international immigration offices, potentially slowing the processing of those seeking lawful entry into the country.

President Trump has focused much of his resources on curbing the flow of illegal migrants into the United States. Offices currently provide support for family visa requests, refugees, and international adoptions, among other tasks.

23 Immigration Offices Considered for Closure

The closure of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would affect 23 field offices. Deployed staff would be relocated within the United States. According to Reuters and other news sources, American Embassies and Consulates would take on some of the tasks previously performed by the field offices. The State Department would handle much of the workload, although it is unclear at this point which roles would go to which internal organizations.

The offices are located in Latin America, Asia, and Europe.

Some Groups Openly Critical of the Decision

With the USCIS being a primary handler of refugees, some groups are concerned that the change could place roadblocks in front of vulnerable migrants.

HIAS, a U.S. based non-profit that assists vulnerable refugees, said in a statement this week that “They [the Trump Administration] are doing an across-the-board effort to dismantle the capacity of this country to process refugees and immigrants legally. It is not consistent with what President Trump said in the State of the Union, which is that he wants immigrants to come here, that he wants them to come here legally.”

HIAS President Mark Hetfield added that “This is another example of the administration pulling up the drawbridge.”

Real Change May be Limited

While initial reactions show concern, it is likely that the real impact of field office closures would be limited. Workloads and processes aren’t simply being eliminated. Tasks will be shifted to existing foreign diplomatic offices, as well as domestic offices.

Some, including ex USCIS Director Leon Rodriguez, believe that the move could be aimed at cutting costs and increasing efficiency. The U.S. federal budget deficit for 2019 is $985 billion, and any change in structure could help to reduce expenses.

A USCIS spokesperson confirmed that the agency was in preliminary talks to close field offices, but that “The goal of any such shift would be to maximize USCIS resources that could then be reallocated.” The agency also stated that steps would be taken to “ensure no interruption in the provision of immigration services to affected applicants and petitioners.”

The President is yet to make a statement regarding the news, although field office closures could reenter the headlines if the administration decides to proceed within the next year.