Amnesty Program Is a Success, INS Says

Applications for amnesty under the immigration reform law continue to pour in and the influx has surpassed predictions in the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s San Diego district, federal officials said Friday.

At a press conference called to review strides made during the first four months of the amnesty program, INS authorities declared the legalization system a smooth-running success and said that only 2% of all applications submitted in the western region have been rejected, mostly for fraudulent documentation.

“I think the public has gotten the picture that it is easy to get along with us in the amnesty program,” said INS Western Regional Commissioner Harold Ezell, who is responsible for the legalization network in California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Guam.

Not surprisingly, the western region leads the nation in the number of applications filed, Ezell said. As of Friday, roughly 370,000 applications had been submitted in the region--a figure that Ezell said accounts for 56% of all filings nationwide.

Will Meet Goal

The commissioner predicted that the western region will easily meet its goal of 1 million applicants by the time the 12-month legalization program ends May 4.

In San Diego, District Director James Turnage said nearly 20,300 applications had been received, putting the local office “well on our way to beating our projected goal of 52,500 applicants” for the entire application period. Of the 20,300, nearly 5,400 applicants were seeking legal status through a special program for agricultural workers.

So far, about 96% of all applicants in the western region have been Latino, with the majority of those coming from Mexico. In an effort to drum up more applicants from other ethnic groups, the INS recently launched an advertising campaign in 47 languages, Ezell said.

“In particular, I don’t think we’ve been active enough in the Asian communities,” Ezell said. “We need to let those people know that when their visa runs out, they’re just as illegal as the guy who walks across the border from Mexico.”

Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States continuously since Jan. 1, 1982, may apply for legal status. Also qualified to apply for amnesty are those who have done at least 90 days of agricultural work between May, 1985, and May, 1986.

In the San Diego District, which also includes Imperial County, immigrants may apply for status at legalization offices in Serra Mesa, Escondido or El Centro. In addition, there is a satellite office in Calexico--which recently has experienced a surge in applicants--and a van parked at a church in Carlsbad receives about 40 applications daily.

Earlier Slow Pace

Early on, the slow pace of applicants had officials concerned that undocumented workers were reluctant to come forward, fearing arrest and deportation by the INS. Also, confusion over the new rules and materials necessary to qualify seemed to scare off some workers.

But according to Ezell, it is now clear that “amnesty is alive and amnesty is working.” The commissioner said that the alleged “fear of la migra” is gone and that people are now eager to take advantage of “the greatest opportunity America’s ever offered anybody.”

Ezell said that one surprising trend has surfaced during the program’s infant months. The vast majority of applications--85%--have been submitted by individual workers, with only 15% coming via attorneys and “qualified designated entities.” Ezell said the so-called QDEs--social service agencies and other groups under contract with the INS to assist with the application process--haven’t been as active as expected.

The commissioner also boasted that the amnesty program has paid for itself, with fees from applicants covering administrative costs.

“The neat thing about amnesty is it’s a self-paying program,” Ezell said. “And there aren’t many federal programs like that.”