[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 55 (Thursday, May 1, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E819]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            CITIZENSHIP USA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. RON PACKARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 1997

  Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, the Immigration and Naturalization Service 
[INS] has tested me time and again. Today, my patience has run out. My 
district in southern California has one of the largest concentrations 
of illegal aliens. INS claims to be working to remedy this problem. 
They are failing miserably.
  This morning, I learned that the Citizenship USA Program, which is 
run by the INS, has failed to properly screen nearly 180,000 aliens. 
These aliens were hastily naturalized without adequate background 
checks. Many more submitted the fingerprints of another person to avoid 
triggering a hit by the FBI. How many criminals has the INS allowed to 
become a U.S. citizen? How many criminal aliens are lurking in our 
neighborhoods and preying on our children?
  Mr. Speaker, yesterday I helped introduce legislation drafted by my 
colleague, Elton Gallegly. This bill would expand a pilot program 
currently operating in Anaheim and Ventura Counties, CA, which requires 
24-hour presence of INS agents at local jails in 100 counties with the 
highest concentration of illegal aliens.
  Currently, our local law enforcement officials do not have the power 
to deport these criminal illegal aliens. This bill will place the 
proper authorities in the hands of our communities in order to send 
these criminal illegal aliens back over the border for good. In 
addition, because those who committed crimes are more likely to break 
the law again, this bill will pick up those who slipped through the 
cracks of the Citizenship USA Program. It is my hope that the INS will 
now correct the wrongs they have committed against law-abiding U.S. 
citizens. The INS must take appropriate action to deport those who are 
found to have submitted falsified documents to gain U.S. citizenship. 
It is the right thing to do for the safety of our children and the 
security of our neighborhoods. We must rid our streets of these 
criminal aliens.