 And U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services continues to grapple with staffing challenges. In a new report, the CIS ombudsman found the agency has about 21,000 employees, 3,000 positions less than its fully authorized workforce. The ombudsman says USCIS is struggling to fill positions after a lengthy hiring freeze was lifted in 2021. Still, the agency was able to cut the immigration backlog for the first time in a decade last year. Find these stories and more at federalnewsnetwork.com. I'm Eric White.