Speech #960162458

The House conferees insisted upon continuation of this service since no hearings had been held on this matter in the other body. The conference committee reached agreement on other more technical aspects of the Departments policy responsibilities. including language requiring cmmunication between the Department of Justice and the Congress on any reprograming of funds. on certain undercover investigative activities of the FBI and on departmental intentions to engage in message switching activities. With regard to the Immigration and Naturalization Services. the conferees agreed upon the House authorization dollar amount of $319.386.000 and a detailed plan for a management study of the Service. It has become obvious over the past few years that the Service has been finding it increasingly difficult to meet its responsibilities. This regrettable trend is not only due to a continued lack of sufficient financial and manpower resources. but also due to its reliance on antiquated procedures and recordkeeping systems. The conferees seek to address a portion of the manpower problem by authorizing sufficient funds to reinforce the Border Patrol. especially on the Southwest border where there is evidence of unabated illegal border crossings. More importantly. the conferees seek to move the agency into 20th century methods and operations by authorizing funds to update the present nonimmigrant control procedures and design a more efficient and effective system compatible with computer capabilities. The report also authorizes $5 million to automate district offices and file control centers to upgrade processing and recordkeeping functions which really form the basic foundation for all Immigration and Naturalization Service operations. The conference report also makes provision for an independent comprehensive management analysis of the Service. Testimony at oversight hearings indicated that some management practices which had developed over the years were no longer viable to respond to present day Immigration and Naturalization Service responsibilities. The purpose of this survey is to correct these deficiencies. This legislation also establishes the position of Social Investigator of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to be appointed by the Attorney General for a period of 3 years or until the establishment of an Inspector General in the Department of Justice. Specifically for this purpose. there is authorized to be appropriated $376.000 for fiscal year 1980. Further authorization for this Special Investigator will have to await future action by the Congress. It will be the duty of the Special Investigator to look into all charges of corruption. discrimination. and other alleged illegal actions. It is our hope that these measures will set the Immigration and Naturalization Service on the right path for future development and progress. permitting its capabilities to respond to its responsibilities under the Immigration and Nationality Act. For the Drug Enforcement Administration. the conferees agreed to a compromise between the figures that the two Houses had authoriied. Due to a typographical error in the conference report dealing with the Drug Enforcement Administration. there is an inadvertent inconsistency in the figures.