Speech #990284255

I would like to direct a question to my friend from Wyoming. the distinguished manager of this bill. Senator SIMPSON. I am concerned about the strain the requirements of this immigration bill will place on the already strapped Immigration and Naturalization Service in Michigan. It has been projected that 50.000 aliens in Michigan will be eligible for legalization under the terms of S. 1200. They will begin applying for legalization within the first 6 months after enactment of this legislation. My understanding is that the demands of the legalization program in terms of INS personnel could easily paralyze the daytoday operation of the Service. S. 1200 does contain additional funding for INS personnel. but I am not aware that the money is allocated geographically. There has been a tendency to see illegal immigration as a Southern border problem. and therefore much of the attention when we speak of the issue is directed toward States that border on Mexico. And indeed. the illegal aliens first enter the United States through California. Arizona. New Mexico. and Texas. But what is often forgotten is that many of these aliens go on to settle in cities in the Northeast and Midwest. Many States in this region. including Michigan. have enormous illegal alien populations. Can the Senator from Wyoming give me assurances. first that S. 1200 provides the INS with the resources it will need to carry out the provisions of the legislation before us while continuing its daytoday operations. and second. that Northern States. like Michigan. will not be forgotten in the allocation of resources to different INS districts?