Speech #1090100215

Mr. Chairman. I offer this amendment at a time when our Immigration system continues to fail Americas hardworking families. at a time when immigration laws continue to separate our Nations families and at a time when our country is so desperately seeking fair and comprehensive immigration reform. Millions of close family members continue to languish in a wearisome visa backlog process for years waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. The seemingly endless application process creates desperation and homelessness for hardworking immigrants in a Nation where we hear so much about family values being a priority. We must provide relief for these families struggling to be together. Beginning in fiscal year 2002. President Bush proposed a $500 million initiative to eliminate the immigration processing backlog and attain a universal 6month processing time standard for all immigration applicants within 5 years. While this initiative has helped to reduce the backlog. the Goverment Accountability Office estimates that. as of June 30. 2005. USCIS still had 1.2 million cases in Its backlog. and the agency was unlikely to meet the September 2006 deadline of a 6month turnaround time for applications. In my congressional district. we continue to have backlogged cases of over a year despite the Presidents proposed 6month time standard. Elsewhere in the country. there are people waiting up to 22 years for their applications to be processed. What is most alarming about the cases in my district is that the individuals have been mistakenly identified by the USCIS as naturalized when in fact they are not. Not only does this create an unnecessary backlog. it poses a national security concern. My amendment. which has previously passed the House. will help address this issue. The amendment will enable the Department of Homeland Security to explore new ways of tackling this problem by authorizing the director of the USCIS to implement innovative pilot initiatives to eliminate the immigration application processing backlog and prevent further backlog from occurring. It would encourage initiatives such as increasing or transferring personnel to areas with the greatest backlog. streamlining regulations and paperwork filing processes. upgrading information technology. and increasing immigration service centers throughout the country. This amendment recognizes that there is not one specific approach toward eliminating the backlog. and therefore it encourages flexibility at the local level so pilot project sites can examine the problem in new ways. Children should not be left without the guidance of both of their parents as they face the joys and trials of school life. building friendships. and discovering their individual talents. Mothers and fathers should not be denied the chance to watch their children grow up into young men and women. moving on to having children of their own. And couples should not be separated. leaving one parent struggling to make ends meet and serve the needs of their children alone. We must help reunite families and ensure that immigrant families have the same opportunities as nativeborn families to live and work together as a complete family unit. Mr. Chairman.