Washington Post - 08.27.02

The Washington Post

Immigrants Aren't the Problem

When James W. Ziglar came on board last year as commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, he had a mandate to restructure the struggling agency in a political climate that was largely welcoming to immigrants and appreciative of their role in the U.S. economy. Labor unions were ready to embrace amnesty for illegal workers already in the country, businesses were demanding visas to bring in high-tech employees from overseas, and President Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox were talking about ways to "regularize" the status of migrants from south of the border. A month into Mr. Ziglar's tenure came Sept. 11 and a new universe. Long-acknowledged weaknesses in border control and enforcement of visa requirements were seen in a terrible new light: Security became the paramount concern. For the next nine months Mr. Ziglar tried, as he described it, to "continue making progress toward the goals of restructuring the agency and reducing backlogs while responding to the call to arms in the war on terrorism." It was a bumpy ride, including a storm of outrage when, six months after the hijackings, an INS contractor sent to a Florida flight school routine confirmation that the student visas of some hijackers had earlier been approved. In July, Mr. Ziglar began talking to White House and Justice Department aides about returning to private life, and recently he made it official: He will leave by the end of the year. His decision comes with the agency at a crossroads, in both organization and mission.

Mr. Ziglar drew praise from immigration advocates for recognizing, as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy put it, that "immigration is not the problem, terrorism is," and for remaining mindful of civil liberties even as enforcement toughened. Those are vital distinctions that must be maintained, and the job isn't likely to get any easier as time goes on. The administration faces an immediate challenge to fashion a Department of Homeland Security that encompasses and supports all the functions of the immigration agency. House-passed legislation would split the INS between the new department and the Justice Department, a bad formula that not only separates activities that should be related, but also could make it even harder to get the attention and funding needed to improve the agency's service operations. That must be corrected before any bill becomes law. Then Mr. Bush must make sure the leadership of the new department can manage reforms and enhance border protection without losing sight of the core commitment to civil liberties and to fair immigration policies.