Speech #1050182537

Mr. President. it is a privilege on behalf of the administration to introduce the Immigration and Nationalization Service Restructuring Act of 1998. and I urge the Senate to support it. The purpose of the act is to strengthen the enforcement of the Nations immigration laws at the borders and in other parts of the country. and also to strengthen the many immigration and citizenship services that the INS provides. The Nation has a long and distinguished history of welcoming immigrants and refugees who come to this country legally. But because the United States is widely viewed around the world as a land of extraordinary economic opportunities. these opportunities are often a magnet for illegal immigration. The Immigration and Naturalization Service has two equally important missions. It provides services and benefits to immigrants and refugees eligible for assistance under our laws. and it enforces the laws that prevent illegal immigration. In recent years. the effectiveness of the INS in carrying out these two complex and often competing missions has been increasingly criticized. Many critics say that the agency is suffering from "mission overload" and proposals have been made to dismantle the agency and assign its responsibilities to other parts of the Federal Government. One such proposal was made by the Commission on Immigration Reform. which conducted a comprehensive study of the functions and capabilities of the INS. The Commissions report contains some wellreasoned findings and excellent recommendations. However. the Commissions proposal for structural reform is highly controversies because it seeks to reassign core INS responsibilities to other federal agencies. the services and benefits function would be assigned to the Department of State. and the enforcement function would be assigned to the Department of Justice. Under Commissioner Doris Meissners impressive leadership. the Immigration and Naturalization Service has made significant progress in identifying its problems. developing strategies to correct them. and implementing successful reforms. A prime example is the significant achievements of the INS in expediting the asylum process. Today. asylum applications are processed in weeks. not months. and legitimate refugees fleeing persecution are granted prompt asylum. Nonetheless. Commissioner Meissner is the first to admit that the agency faces continuing serious challenges that impede the agencys ability to carry out its basic responsibilities.