ELECTION 99
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

INS Trumpets Achievements

A P Kamath in Washington

After automating most of its outdated computer system and hiring of hundreds of temporary workers, the Immigtration and Naturalization Service announced it has slashed the mountainous backlog in citizenship applications by about 25 per cent -- and that the applicants now have to wait just a year to become citizens.

A year ago they waited for at least 28 months before taking the citizenship oath.

But those who live in New York, San Francisco and Houston will have to wait for at least 17 months before being sworn in. The backlog in these cities has come down considerably but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Immigrants in Virginia, Maryland and the District applying for citizenship can expect an average wait of 10 months.

"Welcoming the new citizens is one of the most important things we do as a nation," said INS commissioner Doris Meissner, but her critics say that agency should have done better, considering the $ 176 million given to it last year to improve itself.

Meissner was joined by attorney general Janet Reno at the announcement. The news was not good enough for Republicans who complained that the agency had become too bureaucratic and lazy. And then there were immigration lawyers and concerned citizens who complained that the agency had fallen behind in other work -- such as processing green card applications.

Some Congressmen, belonging to both Republican and Democratic parties, warned the INS against wasting time congratulating itself, while others questioned the veracity of the claims.

"I would urge the INS to not spend too much time or energy slapping itself on the back,'' said Rep Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's immigration task force. The INS still must deal with the backlog of 1.36 million applications, he said.

"The administration's claim to have cut in half the waits for citizenship applicants is a gross misrepresentation,'' said Rep Lamar Smith, R-Texas, a severe critic of the INS. Smith is the chairman of the House immigration subcommittee.

But INS officials stood by their figures.

Officials say that the agency was not prepared for a surge in citizenship applications two years ago because tough new immigration laws then had prohibited many people with valid stay permit from getting benefits from government agencies. Because it wasn't prepared, there were about two million applications pending. Now there are about 1.36 million applications to be processed.

The agency notes that 1993 to 1999, 6.4 million people applied for citizenship, more than in the previous 37 years combined.

INS officials including Meissner assured the applicants that the waiting period would be reduced to six months by this time next year. "We're in a very solid position to meet this coming year's goal of reducing that national average to just six months,'' she said.

Meissner emphasized that the INS speeded the naturalization process without lowering standards. She was indirectly referring to how three years ago, top-flying Republicans accused the Clinton administration of naturalizing immigrants without conducting thorough criminal background checks.

Crystal Williams, a spokesperson for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said while the reduction in the naturalization backlog was commendable, the one million people waiting for green cards was causing ugliness and anger.

For the fiscal year 1999 which ended September 30 there were nearly one million green card applications to be processed; two years ago there were about 250,000 pending applications.

The agency has asked for $ 126 million to continue its automation program and to further streamline and hasten the review of citizenship and green card applications.

"At least the INS is making a serious effort," says attorney Gurbir Bajwa. "It is far less arrogant than it was before, and it admits now and then of wrongdoing. This is something new, and I hope it continues."

But critics of the agency, including Smith, believe that it has to be split into two divisions, one dealing with application reviews and the other one looking after border fortification and stopping the flow of illegal immigrants.

EARLIER FEATURES:
Lowest Number Of Green Cards Issued In Entire Decade
Green Card Delay Will Continue, Says Immigration Chief

Previous: Yodleeing Their Way to the Top

Next: Anti-Immigrant Activist Admits Hiring Illegal Workers

Tell us what you think of this report