[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E53]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MARKING THE RETIREMENT OF JOHN P. WEISS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SAM GEJDENSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 1, 2000

  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend John P. Weiss for 
nearly thirty years of service to the U.S. Immigration and 
Naturalization Service. John is more than an extraordinary public 
servant, he is a humanitarian and a great advocate on behalf of the 
American people.
  On January 3, 2000, John Weiss officially retired as Officer in 
Charge of the Hartford, Connecticut INS Office. John's leadership and 
commitment to excellence has ensured high quality and efficient service 
for immigrants and their families living in Connecticut. John set a 
standard that all of us in public service should work to emulate.
  In 1988, my office was inundated with calls from U.S. citizens who 
were filing their I-130 petitions for their foreign born spouses at the 
INS Service Center in Vermont. Unfortunately, the processing time in 
Vermont was quite lengthy. After approaching John with this problem and 
expressing the frustration of my constituents, he agreed to look into 
the problem. John then implemented a new processing policy for I-130 
and I-485 petitions filed by citizens on behalf of their spouses. He 
clearly empathized with the stress they were feeling due to being 
separated from their spouses. John allowed the Hartford INS office to 
begin accepting I-130 petitions from citizens for their spouses. This 
accelerated the processing time tremendously. He truly made a positive 
difference in the lives of thousands of people. Families were able to 
reunite much sooner than they had originally expected.
  I have remarked many times throughout the years that Connecticut is 
indeed very lucky to have such a compassionate and caring individual 
such as John Weiss running the INS office. John's career is quite 
distinguished. One of his most remarkable assignments began in 1973 
when he was assigned to investigate Nazi war criminals. John spent a 
great deal of time interviewing Holocaust victims and chronicling the 
atrocities that occurred during the Second World War and tracking war 
criminals who might have attempted to fraudulently enter the United 
States. I know this was an experience that deeply affected John's life 
and perspective on the world.
  Whenever John Weiss learned about a problem or an individual with 
extenuating circumstances, he took steps to address it. It never 
mattered how busy he was with his duties, he always made time to 
address the needs of every constituent. In this respect, he is a model 
for all of us in public service.
  Mr. Speaker, John Weiss is a public servant in the very best 
tradition of our country. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of the 
citizens of Connecticut and provided the highest quality service. He 
has also brought a sense of compassion to his work.
  I am proud to be able to join his former colleagues and members of 
the community in thanking John for his service and commitment to 
bettering the lives of immigrants and their families.