April 25, 2002

White House Backs Bill Abolishing INS

In a shift of their position, the White House made a surprise announcement that they are backing a House bill introduced by Representative Sensenbrenner which abolishes the INS. The bill, H.R. 3231, calls for the abolishment of the Immigration & Naturalization Service and replacing it with three new entities. The bill was passed by the House on April 25, 2002. Originally, the White House backed a plan which would have only restructured the INS and wanted to handle the restructuring through administrative means rather than through legislation from Congress. However, while the White House has said they now generally support the Sensenbrenner bill, they will push for some changes as the bill moves through the House.

Under H.R. 3231, the INS would be replaced by the Office of the Associate Attorney General for Immigration (AAGIA), the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) and the Bureau of Immigration Enforcement (BIE). The AAGIA would overseee the Director of the BCIS and the Director of the BIE and coordinate administration of a national immigration policy between the two bureaus. The BCIS would mainly be responsible for providing immigration services, benefits and work on reduing processing backlogs. The BIE would concentrate on enforcement issues such as apprehending and removing deportable aliens along the border and in the country.

  House Committee on Judiciary Amendments to H.R. 3231 and Report on Abolishing the INS
 (PDF/1.12 MB, 234 pages)