USCIS tweets wrong date

US Citizenship and Immigration Services have stirred up a minor controversy after tweeting the wrong year as the date when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. In Spanish, USCIS asked social media users to pick one of three dates for the Declaration of Independence, June 29, 1779, or July 4 on either 1778 or 1779.

The correct answer should have been “none of the ones listed” as the actual date is July 4, 1776. US Citizenship and Immigration Services were quick to realize their error and had it removed from the site, saying it was nothing more than a typo. Immigration hardliner Mark Krikorian, the Center for Immigration Studies director, didn’t agree and jumped all over the mistake. Krikorian called it a disturbing indication of unfamiliarity with US history and “not a sign of normal fallibility”.

Krikorian went on the offensive on the social media site, blasting US Citizenship and Immigration Services in a series of tweets. He asked if 1779 was the date of adoption for the Declaration of Independence if you take the test in Spanish. He also questioned the wisdom of the country taking in up to as many as a million new immigrants per annum when the agency responsible for creating new citizens cannot get such basic information correct.

USCIS reiterated that the date mistake was human error and the tweet was deleted within an hour.