Who do the american ambassies answer to?

Question

this is concerning a recent immigration bill that will be voted in congress...ok the bill talks about sending the illegal immigrant back to their countries, pay a fee of 5 grand and come back as american citizens. my question is this, will the ambassies give them their visas for them to come back? will the president have a deal with them for that??? in other words are ambassies independent bodies which are totally apart with the federal giverment or do they answer to someone in particular??? concern immigration??

Answer 1

Embassies are under the direct control of the head of state and they represent their country.  Thus, they are unanswerable to the office of the President.

Answer 2

No, US embassies are not independent bodies; they are accountable to the Secretary of State, the President, and congressional oversight.  

US foreign missions, including embassies, are staffed by federal employees who work for a variety of US government agencies and departments.  Managing the foreign missions is the responsibility of the US Department of State, which falls under the purview of the US Secretary of State.  The Secretary of State is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate - US foreign missions are required to comply with US laws and departmental directives issued by the Department of State.

Answer 3

Yes, consulates are under the Dept of State, an agency of the federal government.  You are, however, hitting on a concern a lot of people will have.

Consulates have a significant amount of discretion in these cases and denied applicants have limited opportunities for review of decisions.   This is the reason any kind of touchback component in a new bill will likely not work.  People know how consulates work and they are afraid of that gray area of the consulates' almighty discretion.

Answer 4

Embassies answer to the State Department, and ultimately the President of the United States. Don't worry, by the time this thing goes through (if it does), Bush won't be President anymore.

Answer 5

embassy's are a part of the U.S. govt.,.....if there is a law, then they will Honor that law,.....