June 30, 2000

Letters to the Editor
The Detroit News
615 West Lafayette Boulevard
Detroit, MI 48226

To The Editor:

Your recent editorial about reforming the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is right on target (“Reform the Immigration Service,” June 28).

For some time, the American Immigration Lawyers Association has endorsed separating, but coordinating, INS enforcement and adjudications, having a single person in charge who has the clout to set national immigration policy, and adequately funding both enforcement and adjudications. It is heartening that Texas Governor and Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush in a recent statement recognized that the U.S. needs a single person in charge of both the enforcement and adjudications functions. We hope that he now takes the next steps and endorse coordinating the enforcement and adjudication arms, and ensuring that both agencies receive adequate funding to perform their equally important functions.

In your editorial, you said a bill sponsored by Senator Spencer Abraham is “a sensible overhaul” of the INS. We couldn’t agree more and strongly support Senator Abraham’s INS reform bill and his leadership on this issue. Senator Abraham’s bill, which he cosponsored with Edward Kennedy (D-MA), provides for separation and coordination of enforcement and adjudications, names an Assistant Attorney General to oversee both agencies and immigration policy, and establishes an adequate funding stream for enforcement and adjudications. However, there is a competing INS reorganization bill in Congress. We oppose this other bill, sponsored by Representatives Hal Rogers (R-KY), Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), because it meets none of our criteria, and would even further debilitate the INS.

While Governor Bush declined to endorse a specific bill, his chief spokesman noted that, “There are no differences between the Governor’s bill and Senator Abraham’s bill.” You opined that should Congress fail to embrace the Abraham measure, Governor Bush would be justified in making INS reform a major campaign issue. We agree, but would go a step further. We think that it is now time for Congress to approve the only INS reform legislation that can work, the one introduced by Senator Abraham.

Sincerely,

38me0087