Speech #1040184995

To get inside her office at the U.S.-Canada border In Detroit. you need to get by a metal detector and armed employees. So when one of her clients leaps out of a seat In the waiting room at the Detroit branch of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and gives Jenifer a big hug. it seems somewhat out of place. "Oh. Miss Jenifer." says Chadia Haidous. a Lebanese immigrant "I just got sworn in todayl Im an American citizent And now I dont have to worry about my daughter." Jenifer. 45. the first AfricanAmerican woman to manage daytoday operations at one of the 33 INS district offices In the United States. hugs her back and rejoices with the Haldous family. Moments later. loping up the back steps to her office that overlooks the Detroit River. Jenifer explains that little Alica Haldous. 11. who was born in Senegal. could have faced deportation because her mother was not a U.S. citizen. "The family was afraid the daughter would have to go back to Senegal unescorted." Jenifer explains. "I could have stuck to the book. but why? I made a heart decision and I made it in the name of family unity. I could have sent her back and had them petition for hor. but I didnt. And now it wont happen because we dont treat our citizens like that." Jenifer. who oversees a hectic operation with a $14 million annual budget. considers herself one of the new breed of INS managers. While the southern bormost of the media attention. INS officials say the northern border has its share of illegal immigrantsthey just dont talk about how many. Therefore. its her mission to walk a tightrope to satisfy a number of different constituents. from American taxpayers who are disturbed by the lare disturbed by the large number of illegal aliens entering the country. to immigrants who complain about long lines and insensitive treatment at INS offices. One of Jenifers first management decisions was to improve the atmosphere by Installing brighter lights In the crowded walting room. She is considering hiring a customerservice representative to handle complaints generated by the 48 million people who pass through INS checkpoints in her jurisdiction each year. including the DetroitWindsor Tunnel. the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit Metropolitan Airport.