President Bush Named the Senate's Sergeant-at-Arms to be the Next Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service

President Bush named James Ziglar, the Senate sergeant at arms, as Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner Friday while underscoring his plan to restructure the troubled agency.

Ziglar has been the Senate sergeant at arms since 1998, and the White House emphasized his work in the financial industry. Ziglar, a lawyer, has also been an investment banker, an assistant Interior secretary and a law clerk to then-Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun. A native of Pascagoula, Miss., he was a staff assistant to Sen. James O. Eastland (D-Miss.) from 1964 to 1971.

"He has strong relationships with Republicans and Democrats in the Congress and has worked in both the public and private sectors,'' Bush said in a statement. ``His history of overseeing large organizations and tackling management challenges make Jim an excellent choice as commissioner of the INS.'"

Bush and Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, who oversees the INS, said Ziglar will be central to their efforts to reform the agency. Bush wants to split the INS in two, with one arm focused on enforcing immigration laws and the other centered on providing services to immigrants.