The Nation : Inquiry Faults INS Chiefs

High-ranking officials of the Immigration and Naturalization Service interfered with investigations into alleged corruption by agents, an internal Justice Department report said. Although “substantial strides” have been made in investigating such allegations since 1980, it said, “serious institutional obstacles to . . . vigorous pursuit of these and other allegations have been raised. Some of this interference has come from INS upper management.” Allegations of corruption against the immigration service “usually involved claims” that agents accepted bribes for helping illegal aliens cross borders, the report said. INS spokesman Vern Jervis said the agency would have no comment.