BCIS Interim Management Directors Named

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

March 3, 2003

BUREAU OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES INTERIM MANAGEMENT DIRECTORS NAMED

Washington, DC – The Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Gordon England, and Acting Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS), Eduardo Aguirre Jr., have announced the appointment of Interim Regional Directors and Interim District Directors for the BCIS. The appointments became effective March 1 when BCIS formally assumed responsibility for the administration of immigration benefits.

The interim directors will work out of the current locations of the 33 District Offices and the three regional offices of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

“These men and women will play a critical role in preserving our nation’s proud immigration tradition while preserving the integrity of the system and helping secure the homeland,” said Deputy Secretary England.

“The establishment of a bureau devoted exclusively to the administration of immigration benefits represents a historic opportunity,” said Acting Director Aguirre. “That singleness of purpose, together with the dedication and expertise of our workforce, will greatly enhance our ability to deliver services to the millions who seek out our benefits every year.”

The BCIS is made up of some 15,000 employees and contractors headed by a director who reports to the Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security. The Bureau will be responsible for the administration of immigration benefits and services including the processing of citizenship applications, family and employment-based petitions, and asylum and refugee processing. The BCIS has launched an outreach campaign to reassure the public about the status of INS documents, offices, and services during the ongoing transition.

The BCIS is one of three components within the Department of Homeland Security tasked with the duties formerly assigned to the INS. The other two bureaus, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (BCBP) and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE), will assume responsibility for immigration enforcement activities at the border and in the nation’s interior.

Interim BCIS Regional Directors

Interim BCIS Directors