Amnesty Day : INS, Agencies Gird for Expected Alien Flood

On the eve of the application period for amnesty under the new immigration law, representatives of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and independent agencies assisting in the program in San Diego County said Monday they are prepared for a rush of applicants and information-seekers.

“We’re ready to go,” said Clifton Rogers, deputy district director for the INS in San Diego. “I think we’ve met the challenge. The equipment’s here, the training has been done. We worked all weekend putting in the final touches.”

However, independent observers say there still is considerable confusion in the illegal alien community--despite official INS assurances that the agency has successfully disseminated word about the amnesty program.

On Monday, agencies working with illegal aliens reported that they had received numerous telephone calls from potential applicants confused about the program. Many appear to be under the mistaken belief that today is the deadline for applications--not the start of a one-year application period.

“I’ve heard from a lot of fearful people who believe that May 5th is the final date,” said Yolanda Martinez, legalization coordinator with Centro de Asuntos Migratorios, a nonprofit agency that provides counseling to undocumented immigrants in San Diego County. “I’m spending half my time explaining to people that it’s not the cutoff date.”

More Than an Application

Many illegal aliens also appear confused about the forms that must be submitted to the INS. Besides a four-page application form, applicants are asked to provide a set of fingerprints, a medical certification of fitness, two photographs and a sheet of paper summarizing the supporting documents in their possession.

“Some people seem to think that they can just fill out an application and that’s it,” said Marco Antonio Rodriguez, executive director of Centro de Asuntos Migratorios.

Because amnesty applications and other needed forms only became generally available last week, immigration lawyers and representatives of independent agencies assisting illegal aliens said they would not be submitting large numbers of applications for at least a few days, possibly weeks. However, officials of several independent agencies whose efforts are key to the success of the program expressed confidence that they were ready to assist applicants.

“I feel very positive about everything,” said Maria Elena Verdugo, legalization coordinator for Catholic Community Services, which has already pre-registered more than 12,000 applicants in San Diego and Imperial counties. “For those who do fall under the guidelines . . . I feel very confident that they will be legalized.”

However, others note that there is still considerable suspicion about approaching the INS, an agency that has long been criticized for a lack of sensitivity toward illegal aliens.

“I’ve had people come in here and tell me how they still remember how they saw their parents loaded into boxcars and deported in the 1930s,” said Yolanda Martinez, alluding to the Depression-era deportations of Latinos from Los Angeles. “They’re afraid; they think that’s what’s still happening.”

Responding to such fears, the INS has gone out of its way to stress a “can do” response toward amnesty applications. “We’re going to look for ways to make people qualify,” said Rogers.

INS Attitude Praised

Indeed, the agency’s attitude toward the program has won some early praise from independent observers, although many do remain skeptical about how “liberal” the agency will be toward applicants who may have insufficient documentation to prove their U.S. residency.

“I have the feeling that the INS is caught up in the generous spirit of the law, rather than their traditional attitude that they are the guardians of the ‘Pearly Gates,’ ” said Frank Morell, an immigration attorney in San Diego County.

Under the new immigration law, illegal aliens who can demonstrate that they have been living continuously in the United States since Jan. 1, 1982, may be eligible for legal residency permits. They must make application during the one-year period that begins today.

The illegal aliens who face the most time pressures are those in deportation proceedings who have received official notices from the INS since Nov. 6, the date that the new immigration statute was signed into law. If potentially eligible for amnesty, such applicants have only 30 days, beginning today, to submit their applications.

Also potentially eligible for amnesty are illegal aliens who can show that they have completed at least 30 days of farm work in the United States during the one-year period that ended May 1, 1986. However, the application period for illegal alien farm workers does not begin until June 1; their application period lasts for 18 months.

In San Diego County, officials estimate, there are 100,000 illegal aliens. As many as half may qualify for amnesty, experts say, although no one knows how many will apply.

The INS legalization office in San Diego, at 3247 Mission Village Drive in Kearny Mesa, is capable of processing 250 applications a day, according to the INS. The Escondido office, at 463 Midway Drive, can process 150 per day, officials say.

Will Break In Slowly

However, for at least the first few weeks, INS authorities say that the offices will be operating at less than full capacity. The agency wants to assess time demands and gradually acclimate workers to their new tasks, officials explain. By June 5 Rogers said, the two offices should be operating at full capacity.

“I think that this is the greatest challenge that we’ve faced as an agency,” Rogers said.

At the INS’s two amnesty, or legalization offices, in San Diego County, workers spent Monday unloading furniture, connecting telephone lines and completing other last-minute preparations for the applicants who are expected to arrive today.

Both offices will be open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Depending on demand and community response, officials said, hours may be extended and the offices could be opened on weekends.

Because of the anticipated demand, the INS is not accepting walk-in applications. Officials say that applications should be dropped off in sealed envelopes at the legalization offices or mailed to the appropriate post office boxes.

Each applicant who passes the initial screening will receive, in the mail, a letter that includes a receipt for the legalization fee, an appointment for an interview, and a temporary work authorization permit. The fee per applicant is $185, with a maximum fee for a family of $420.

The INS mailing addresses in San Diego County are:

INS-Legalization. P.O. Box 23511, San Diego, Calif. 92123.

INS-Legalization. P.O. Box 271469, Escondido, Calif. 92027.