Group Defends Slow Pace of Amnesty Work

Smarting from criticism over its slow start in processing amnesty applications on behalf of its massive illegal alien clientele, Catholic Charities officials countered Friday that they have held back because of inconsistencies in the handling of applications at government legalization offices.

However, encouraged by efforts of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to standardize the procedures, Catholic Charities officials said they are optimistic that the discrepancies will be worked out.

“We’ve moved cautiously to protect the aliens’ rights,” said Rosa Sipler, director of legalization for Catholic Charities in Los Angeles, by far the largest INS-approved organization in the area helping immigrants to complete applications for submission to the federal agency.

But now, she added, “we’re moving toward a consensus on how to document (amnesty applications),” she added. This includes setting a clear standard on the types of documents required to prove a history of self-support and of continuous residence in the United States since 1982, as required under the new immigration law. For example, she said some legalization offices are asking for different tax forms as proof of employment.

Sipler said she is confident that, once “we have consistent guidance from INS on documentation requirements,” Catholic Charities will be able to streamline by half its current two-to three-hour application preparation process and increase its output.

A meeting earlier this week called by INS to discuss the shortage of applications from all the so-called QDEs, or qualified designated entities such as Catholic Charities, was “a step in the right direction,” Sipler said. She added that other such meetings are planned and that Catholic Charities is in regular contact with INS officials on the issue.

“We’re moving toward a greater understanding about what is required at each (INS legalization) office,” she said. “And INS is attempting to standardize.”

At the meeting, immigration officials expressed concern over the low number of applications filed by the QDEs, the agencies that the INS is depending on to bring in the bulk of applications. Officials noted that out of a total of 100,000 applications received nationwide so far, less than 10% had come from QDEs. The INS has estimated that about 3.9 million illegal immigrants will apply for amnesty.

Catholic Charities, which has registered about 320,000 potential applicants in the three-county Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese, has interviewed only about 6,000 of them and submitted only about 100 applications to the INS.

It is precisely the INS’s dependence on the QDEs that Sipler cited as a motivating factor for the INS to accommodate the agencies. Sipler also noted that the one-year amnesty application period is only into its second month and said she is confident that Catholic Charities will be able to process all those who have registered for help with the agency.

Sipler said that Catholic Charities plans to submit up to 1,000 applications during the first half of July. She expects the pace to pick up as a staff shortage is addressed and the agency can open all 21 of its processing centers. Only 11 are currently in operation.