Speech #1000003574

Mr. Speaker. today I am introducing legislation to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act of facilitate the often timeconsuming and frustrating process of acquiring U.S. citizens by allowing for administrative naturalization. This legislation passed the House last Congress and continues to be desperately needed in areas of the country where fully qualified applicants for naturalization must sometimes wait 2 years to be sworn in as U.S. citizens. Todays bifurcated system provides that the Immigration and Naturalization Service does virtually all the processing and preliminary determinations and then makes recommendations on the cases to the courts. The courts. however. have the role of final disposition in the manner of swearing in the applicant. It is generally recognized that the role of the court is almost exclusively ceremonial and that recommendations of the Attorney General are rarely overturned by the court. For those immigrants adopting this country. U.S. citizenship is a priceless possession. In return. our country is enriched with their contributions and each nationality and heritage is woven into rich tapestry of American society. These people wish to enjoy the rights of this great land. the right to practice religion freely. the right to participate in a Democratic form of government. the right of free expression. and the inalienable rights of life. liberty. and the pursuit of happiness. Yet the present system does them an injustice. Due to lengthy delays in the naturalization process. they are being denied employment opportunities. travel. the ability to confer immigration benefits on Relatives. and most importantly they are denied the right to vote. The system has impediments including administrative and logistical problems and has not kept pace with the exponential increase in applications for citizenship. The number of applications for naturalization has increased from 171.000 in 1981 to 420.000 in 1986. In my district alone the waiting period is 20 months with a current backlog of 10.000 applicants in New Jersey. This legislation will address these increased workloads and administrative problems by streamlining the twostep burdensome process by allowing the Attorney General to make the determinations on citizenship and perform the swearing in of applicants. First. it directs that the sole procedure for naturalization is vested with the Attorney General. Second. the bill provides an administrative review with the Board of Immigrations Appeals of denied applications. It also provides district courts with appellate authority. Third. the bill retains significant elements of the judicial system in order to retain the dignity and decorum generally associated with the citizenship ceremony. It requires ceremonies be conducted in "open session" and that the Attorney General designate certain days for final hearings on citizenship cases. The Attorney General is required "to ensure that the public ceremonies conducted by the Attorney General for the administration of oaths of allegiance * * * are in keeping with the dignity of the occasion." An applicant also has the option of being sworn in before a district court judge. Under my legislation qualified applicants for naturalization would simply submit an application for naturalization to the Immigration and Naturalization Service and it will be on one track through the final swearing of allegiance ceremony consecrating the ultimate act of gaining citizenship. It would simply codify existing practice in a more costeffective. efficient manner. Movement to administrative naturalization is not a step taken lightly. the Congress. the executive branch. and the judiciary have all attempted to address the backlogs through legislation in 1981. through more funding and manpower. through management improvements. computerization. and more logistical support. These efforts have met with only limited success. The time has arrived.