October 1, 1999

Letters to the Editor
The Christian Science Monitor
One Norway Street
Boston, MA 02115

To The Editor:

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) strongly endorses the idea at the heart of a recent editorial (“Reforming US Gatekeepers,” Oct. 1, 1999). Unfortunately, you have picked the wrong vehicle through which to restructure the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

We agree that Congress should separate the adjudications and enforcement functions but keep them in the Department of Justice. There also must be strategic coordination between the two functions; a single, focused, national chain of command to pursue both an integrated national enforcement strategy and the immigration services functions; and adequate funding of both enforcement and adjudications.

Our disagreement is over which piece of legislation would best accomplish those goals. There currently are three INS reform bills before Congress: S. 1563, sponsored by Senators Spencer Abraham (R-MI), Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE); HR 2580, introduced by Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX); and HR 2528, sponsored by Representatives Hal Rogers (R-KY), Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Silvestre Reyes (D-TX). Both S. 1563 and HR 2580 meet these goals. HR 2528 meets none of them, and will lead to weaker INS enforcement and even larger backlogs in adjudications and naturalizations.

H.R. 2528 does not provide for a single person to oversee, coordinate and integrate immigration policy. As a result, the two separate bureaus H.R. 2528 contemplates would ensure conflicting messages on policy matters and legal interpretations, and the two bureaus working at cross purposes. This lack of coordination would lead to increased inefficiencies in enforcement, naturalizations and adjudications. Finally, the bill’s stunning silence on funding would create even more backlogs than currently exist — three million people waiting for Green Cards or citizenship.

That is why AILA is supporting S. 1563, which if implemented would mean true INS reform: a single, accountable person at the top, coordination between enforcement and adjudications, and an adequate funding mechanism.

Sincerely,

Jeanne A. Butterfield
Executive Director