House Approves INS Breakup
Apr 29th 2002, 7:00 am
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House Approves INS Breakup
April 26, 2002
House Approves INS Breakup
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 6:14 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress has taken the first step toward disbanding the
beleaguered Immigration and Naturalization Service and splitting the agency's
responsibilities into two new Justice Department bureaus.
The INS ``carries out neither of its crucial missions effectively, enforcing our
immigration laws or providing services to immigrants,'' Rep. James Sensenbrenner said
before the House voted Thursday to dismantle the INS. ``We must practice tough love
and abolish the INS.'' The Senate's turn comes next week when a measure sponsored by
Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., heads to subcommittee. INS
Commissioner James Ziglar is to appear May 2 before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee
on immigration.
``Sept. 11 taught us that immigration and border security issues are too important to
be ignored and mishandled,'' Kennedy said.
Both the House bill and the Senate measure would eliminate Ziglar's position.
Under Sensenbrenner's plan, which passed the House on a 409-9 vote Thursday, the
Justice Department would create a single agency to enforce laws and keep unqualified
people from entering the United States. A second agency would smooth the way to
possible citizenship for legal immigrants.
Sensenbrenner's plan would create a new associate attorney general to oversee the new
agencies. Kennedy's would rely on what he said would be a stronger immigration
affairs director.
``Now is not the time to diminish the power of the person running the nation's
immigration agency,'' he said.
Many in Congress believe abolishing the INS is necessary because of a series
of foul-ups.
Notice of previously approved visa extensions for two of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers
was mailed months after the attacks. Also, a government aviation newsletter was still
being mailed to another hijacker long after his death. Although all 19 hijackers came
on valid visas, several were illegally in the country at the time of the attacks. The
immigration service also has been criticized for years because of huge backlogs of
applications for naturalization or permanent residence. We should ``stop giving more
and more money to the agency each year as a reward for squandering the money we gave
it the year before,'' Sensenbrenner said. Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., refused to wait on
the Bush administration to attempt an internal reorganization of the INS. The White
House and the Justice Department, in return, waited until hours before the vote to
publicly endorse the GOP-pushed bill. Attorney General John Ashcroft also said they
would work with the Senate or a House-Senate negotiating committee to make the
changes to the measure. ``This is not the end of the journey,'' Ashcroft said. ``This
is an important first step essential to the journey's end, but not sufficient to get
us there.''
Seven Democrats voted against the bill, including Rep. Melvin Watt of North Carolina.
``You've got one inefficient, unproductive INS now; it seems to me what you're going
to end up with is two inefficient agencies,'' Watt said.
The other Democrats who voted against the bill were Reps. Zoe Lofgren of California,
Patsy Mink and Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, Eva Clayton
of North Carolina and Mike Honda of California. GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona and
independent Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont also voted against the bill.
House Approves INS Breakup
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 6:14 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress has taken the first step toward disbanding the
beleaguered Immigration and Naturalization Service and splitting the agency's
responsibilities into two new Justice Department bureaus.
The INS ``carries out neither of its crucial missions effectively, enforcing our
immigration laws or providing services to immigrants,'' Rep. James Sensenbrenner said
before the House voted Thursday to dismantle the INS. ``We must practice tough love
and abolish the INS.'' The Senate's turn comes next week when a measure sponsored by
Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., heads to subcommittee. INS
Commissioner James Ziglar is to appear May 2 before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee
on immigration.
``Sept. 11 taught us that immigration and border security issues are too important to
be ignored and mishandled,'' Kennedy said.
Both the House bill and the Senate measure would eliminate Ziglar's position.
Under Sensenbrenner's plan, which passed the House on a 409-9 vote Thursday, the
Justice Department would create a single agency to enforce laws and keep unqualified
people from entering the United States. A second agency would smooth the way to
possible citizenship for legal immigrants.
Sensenbrenner's plan would create a new associate attorney general to oversee the new
agencies. Kennedy's would rely on what he said would be a stronger immigration
affairs director.
``Now is not the time to diminish the power of the person running the nation's
immigration agency,'' he said.
Many in Congress believe abolishing the INS is necessary because of a series
of foul-ups.
Notice of previously approved visa extensions for two of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers
was mailed months after the attacks. Also, a government aviation newsletter was still
being mailed to another hijacker long after his death. Although all 19 hijackers came
on valid visas, several were illegally in the country at the time of the attacks. The
immigration service also has been criticized for years because of huge backlogs of
applications for naturalization or permanent residence. We should ``stop giving more
and more money to the agency each year as a reward for squandering the money we gave
it the year before,'' Sensenbrenner said. Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., refused to wait on
the Bush administration to attempt an internal reorganization of the INS. The White
House and the Justice Department, in return, waited until hours before the vote to
publicly endorse the GOP-pushed bill. Attorney General John Ashcroft also said they
would work with the Senate or a House-Senate negotiating committee to make the
changes to the measure. ``This is not the end of the journey,'' Ashcroft said. ``This
is an important first step essential to the journey's end, but not sufficient to get
us there.''
Seven Democrats voted against the bill, including Rep. Melvin Watt of North Carolina.
``You've got one inefficient, unproductive INS now; it seems to me what you're going
to end up with is two inefficient agencies,'' Watt said.
The other Democrats who voted against the bill were Reps. Zoe Lofgren of California,
Patsy Mink and Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, Eva Clayton
of North Carolina and Mike Honda of California. GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona and
independent Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont also voted against the bill.
