Ryan Votes for Landmark INS Reform to Improve Immigration Services, Security

WASHINGTON – Wisconsin’s First District Congressman Paul Ryan today voted in support of legislation – H.R. 3231 – that would work to address serious problems with the current U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) by replacing the agency with two separate bureaus with distinct missions. The House passed this legislation, which was introduced by Congressman Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, by a large bipartisan margin: 405 – 9.

Currently, the INS is responsible for a broad range of immigration-related priorities, encompassing both immigration services and enforcement of immigration laws. Partly due to this "mission overload," the INS has experienced great difficulty adequately performing either of these missions. For example, at the end of fiscal year 2001, the INS had a backlog of nearly 5 million applications and petitions, forcing prospective immigrants who try to adhere to the law to wait in limbo for years.

H.R. 3231 would dismantle the INS and create two new agencies that concentrate on different missions. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS), led by an expert in government benefits, will focus on improving immigration services and reducing adjudication backlogs for legal immigrants. The Bureau of Immigration Enforcement (BIE), led by a law enforcement professional, will concentrate on enforcing immigration laws.

"I hear from constituents all the time about problems they have had getting timely responses from the INS. Long delays and service problems at that agency wind up hurting families that are trying hard to play by the rules and build a new life for themselves in this country," Ryan said. "I am hopeful that this major reform will make our immigration system more responsive and efficient, more manageable, and more accountable. This overhaul also should help stop terrorists from slipping through cracks in our system."

In addition to splitting the INS into two separate bureaus, the legislation creates an Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice who handles only immigration affairs and will supervise the two bureaus and resolve conflicts between them. H.R. 3231 also requires the application of Internet-based technologies to track immigration applications as well as to eventually permit applicants to file applications online, improving customer service and saving money.