I am particularly concerned because 347 Customs employees will be separated through reductions in force during this fiscal year. Two hundred and five of them59 percentwill be in the New York region. There are also major cutbacks scheduled for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. and again. the eastern region. which includes New York. will inexplicably take disproportionately high share of the cuts. The peak international tourist season is almost here. My subcommittee will be holding a hearing at JFK on June 15 to try to determine the magnitude of these problems and to find longterm solutions. But today we must face the immediate problem. I do not believe that lax enforcement of our customs and immigration laws is an acceptable alternative to hours long waits at our Nations airports of entry. While I would prefer not to see experiments with expedited passenger processing undertaken In an atmosphere of impending crisis. I recognize that we must act now.
Keywords matched
Naturalization Immigration immigration