"Even though we say we want immigrants to go through the legal process and not come here illegally, we make the legal process as cumbersome and difficult as we can," said Rep. Howard L. Berman, D-Calif.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/8347622.htm
Immigration backlogs growing, despite Bush promise
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON - Four years ago, as a presidential candidate hoping to draw Hispanic votes, then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush vowed to slash the backlog of applications for legal immigration. No one would have to wait longer than six months, he promised.
Despite that resolve, the opposite has happened - more people than ever are facing longer-than-ever delays.
Green cards that would have taken 14 months to process in 2001 are now averaging 33 months. The number of pending applications for such things as replacing a lost green card or obtaining citizenship has shot up nearly 60 percent, to about 6.2 million. Cases more than 6 months old have increased by 89 percent since 2000, from 1.8 million to 3.4 million, according to the government.
The main reason for the delays is the increased security checks since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the Bush administration. But congressional investigators and other critics say insufficient funding, lack of personnel and other shortfalls also are to blame.
The costs and consequences of the growing delays go beyond personal heartache. Businesses that rely on foreign professionals are facing logistical headaches and added legal costs to maintain their workforces. Family members sponsoring a relative have died while the process dragged on. And some immigrants have lapsed into illegality, risking deportation, because work permits or other papers have expired.
"Even though we say we want immigrants to go through the legal process and not come here illegally, we make the legal process as cumbersome and difficult as we can," said Rep. Howard L. Berman, D-Calif. "That is encouraging the very illegality we are trying to deter."
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the arm of the Department of Homeland Security that inherited the work from the old Immigration and Naturalization Service, is the agency struggling with the effect of the increased security checks and scarce resources.
"All of these factors combined to put us where we are today, which is digging out of a very deep hole," said William Yates, head of operations for the immigration agency.
The agency will soon send Congress a backlog elimination plan that is expected to promise that Bush's six-month goal can still be met - but not until 2006.
At bottom, congressional investigators and outside critics say, the agency was simply unprepared to handle its new challenge.
"We have had the mandate; we have not had the funding," Yates said.
Before the Sept. 11 attacks, the government ran full security checks on only some immigration applicants, such as those seeking citizenship. Now every applicant must undergo full screening.
Immigration is performing full checks on 7 million applicants a year, compared with 2.5 million before the attacks, Yates said. Out of 4,500 officers who handle immigration applications, 1,000 have been relegated to do nothing but security checks.
In addition, errors have led to costly setbacks. In late 2001, when a security check conducted by the FBI failed to flag a suspected terrorist who was seeking citizenship, the immigration agency had to recheck 3.2 million applicants to make sure there were no other mistakes.
"We had to put naturalization cases on hold," Yates said. "It put us further in the hole."
Veteran immigration employees say morale within the agency keeps sinking.
"We're as frustrated as the applicants, if not more so," said Brenda Neuerburg, a documentation expert in Baltimore.
"The people who come to us are very irate because their cases are taking so long," she said. "If there is the slightest problem with a case, that increases the time."
Consider green cards: Because the applications are taking so long, supporting documents, including fingerprints, medical records and security checks, often become lost or outdated and have to be resubmitted. That means the application is delayed, with more chores for employees and more anxiety for immigrants.
"The backlogs are now much longer than at any time since I've been practicing, and by an exponential factor," said Carl Shusterman, a Los Angeles immigration lawyer with 30 years of experience.
Some experts suggest extending the expiration dates for work permits, fingerprints, travel permits and other supporting documents.
"If you know a case is going to take three years, at least you shouldn't bury yourself in other paperwork that is only going to make matters worse," Shusterman said.
While Ymelda Gonzalez of Gardena, Calif., waited, her mother, who was her sponsor, died of cancer at age 73. Gonzalez said her request had been pending for more than three years. Now her father is her sponsor. He is 67 and has diabetes and high blood pressure.
"All of my brothers and sisters are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and I am not," said Gonzalez, 40. "I would like to feel more secure." Originally from Mexico, Gonzalez remains an illegal immigrant after 19 years in California.
Her husband, Salvador, 42, a machine shop programmer in the movie industry, is also seeking a green card with his employer's support. For now, he said, he makes do with a work permit that must be renewed annually. The couple just bought a house, but they wonder whether the government will one day send them back to Mexico.
Instead of empathy, the agency is offering a fee increase. Fees for most applications will soon increase by $55 to $60, and then be automatically adjusted for inflation. The cost of a citizenship application will increase to $320.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/8347622.htm
Immigration backlogs growing, despite Bush promise
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON - Four years ago, as a presidential candidate hoping to draw Hispanic votes, then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush vowed to slash the backlog of applications for legal immigration. No one would have to wait longer than six months, he promised.
Despite that resolve, the opposite has happened - more people than ever are facing longer-than-ever delays.
Green cards that would have taken 14 months to process in 2001 are now averaging 33 months. The number of pending applications for such things as replacing a lost green card or obtaining citizenship has shot up nearly 60 percent, to about 6.2 million. Cases more than 6 months old have increased by 89 percent since 2000, from 1.8 million to 3.4 million, according to the government.
The main reason for the delays is the increased security checks since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the Bush administration. But congressional investigators and other critics say insufficient funding, lack of personnel and other shortfalls also are to blame.
The costs and consequences of the growing delays go beyond personal heartache. Businesses that rely on foreign professionals are facing logistical headaches and added legal costs to maintain their workforces. Family members sponsoring a relative have died while the process dragged on. And some immigrants have lapsed into illegality, risking deportation, because work permits or other papers have expired.
"Even though we say we want immigrants to go through the legal process and not come here illegally, we make the legal process as cumbersome and difficult as we can," said Rep. Howard L. Berman, D-Calif. "That is encouraging the very illegality we are trying to deter."
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the arm of the Department of Homeland Security that inherited the work from the old Immigration and Naturalization Service, is the agency struggling with the effect of the increased security checks and scarce resources.
"All of these factors combined to put us where we are today, which is digging out of a very deep hole," said William Yates, head of operations for the immigration agency.
The agency will soon send Congress a backlog elimination plan that is expected to promise that Bush's six-month goal can still be met - but not until 2006.
At bottom, congressional investigators and outside critics say, the agency was simply unprepared to handle its new challenge.
"We have had the mandate; we have not had the funding," Yates said.
Before the Sept. 11 attacks, the government ran full security checks on only some immigration applicants, such as those seeking citizenship. Now every applicant must undergo full screening.
Immigration is performing full checks on 7 million applicants a year, compared with 2.5 million before the attacks, Yates said. Out of 4,500 officers who handle immigration applications, 1,000 have been relegated to do nothing but security checks.
In addition, errors have led to costly setbacks. In late 2001, when a security check conducted by the FBI failed to flag a suspected terrorist who was seeking citizenship, the immigration agency had to recheck 3.2 million applicants to make sure there were no other mistakes.
"We had to put naturalization cases on hold," Yates said. "It put us further in the hole."
Veteran immigration employees say morale within the agency keeps sinking.
"We're as frustrated as the applicants, if not more so," said Brenda Neuerburg, a documentation expert in Baltimore.
"The people who come to us are very irate because their cases are taking so long," she said. "If there is the slightest problem with a case, that increases the time."
Consider green cards: Because the applications are taking so long, supporting documents, including fingerprints, medical records and security checks, often become lost or outdated and have to be resubmitted. That means the application is delayed, with more chores for employees and more anxiety for immigrants.
"The backlogs are now much longer than at any time since I've been practicing, and by an exponential factor," said Carl Shusterman, a Los Angeles immigration lawyer with 30 years of experience.
Some experts suggest extending the expiration dates for work permits, fingerprints, travel permits and other supporting documents.
"If you know a case is going to take three years, at least you shouldn't bury yourself in other paperwork that is only going to make matters worse," Shusterman said.
While Ymelda Gonzalez of Gardena, Calif., waited, her mother, who was her sponsor, died of cancer at age 73. Gonzalez said her request had been pending for more than three years. Now her father is her sponsor. He is 67 and has diabetes and high blood pressure.
"All of my brothers and sisters are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and I am not," said Gonzalez, 40. "I would like to feel more secure." Originally from Mexico, Gonzalez remains an illegal immigrant after 19 years in California.
Her husband, Salvador, 42, a machine shop programmer in the movie industry, is also seeking a green card with his employer's support. For now, he said, he makes do with a work permit that must be renewed annually. The couple just bought a house, but they wonder whether the government will one day send them back to Mexico.
Instead of empathy, the agency is offering a fee increase. Fees for most applications will soon increase by $55 to $60, and then be automatically adjusted for inflation. The cost of a citizenship application will increase to $320.
According to CIS statistics, in the month of Feb'04 the backlog has reduced to 4.9M from 5.2M.