INS Braces for Deadline to Get New Green Cards

She put it off for years, but last week Alicia Fojo finally made the trip: She and her husband awoke at 5 a.m. and headed with some trepidation for downtown Los Angeles and the offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

By noon, Fojo had completed the application for her new “green card” and the elderly couple was heading back home to Santa Barbara County.

“I’m relieved to have this over with,” said Fojo, a 74-year-old native of Cuba who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years.

Her comments underscore the preoccupation among tens of thousands of legal immigrants in southern California and elsewhere as a March 20 renewal deadline approaches for holders of old-model green cards issued before 1979.

The controversial green card recall program has dragged on for more than three years, weathering court challenges, several deadline extensions and harsh criticism from immigrants irate at what many term inadequate service and notification from the INS.

This time, authorities vow, the March 20 deadline is final.

“We’re recommending that people come in now and not wait until the last minute,” said Rosemary Melville, acting INS district director in Los Angeles.

However, the confusion that has marked the program since its inception is still considerable.

“A lot of people just aren’t aware of the date,” said Felipe Kofman, administrator of the San Juan Macias Orientation Immigrant Center, a nonprofit organization in Pacoima. “They’re going to wait until the rush.”

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Those with expiring green cards who fail to apply will retain their legal status, but they could have difficulties in obtaining employment, benefits and reentry into the United States from abroad. Immigrants holding expired green cards may even be subject to detention until authorities confirm their status.

People applying now will not even receive their new green cards for six to eight months, thanks to a bulging renewal backlog. In the interim, each applicant is given a receipt that, along with the old green card, serves as proof of legal residence.

In recent weeks, INS authorities have noted an application upsurge that is expected to grow as the deadline approaches. Staff has been put on overtime to meet the rising demand. Waves of applicants have greeted past cutoff dates, forcing the INS to extend application periods.

The green card recall is also a major factor in an unprecedented demand nationwide for U.S. citizenship. Many longtime residents simply have opted to become citizens. A citizenship backlog of more than 215,000 applicants is pending in the Los Angeles area.

Although it inconveniences legal, longtime residents, the green card replacement initiative is aimed at making life more difficult for illegal immigrants. The hope is that the new card will reduce the thriving black market in stolen and phony documents. Tens of thousands of forged versions of the old card are believed to be in circulation.

The new green card, which is computer coded and contains each bearer’s fingerprint, signature and photograph, is considered more counterfeit resistant. The new green cards must be renewed every 10 years; the previous card was good for life.

At the INS office in downtown Los Angeles, notorious for its long lines, the queues seemed bearable last week. But many people cited a lack of help--the kind of complaint that has given the INS, now boasting an annual budget of more than $2 billion, a reputation for neglecting its service functions in favor of politically popular enforcement efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border and elsewhere.

“There’s not even anyone to answer any questions,” said Maria Sanchez, a 35-year U.S. resident seeking a new green card.

Like so many others, Sanchez said she had put off going to the INS because she dreaded being caught in a bureaucratic vise. It was her second consecutive day of waiting in line; she feared having to waste a third.

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Replacing ‘Green Cards’

March 20 is the deadline for thousands of longtime legal immigrants to replace their old-model “green cards” (Form I-151 Alien Registration cards) with a computer-coded card. Those who fail to do so will lack proof of permanent residence status, which could lead to difficulties in obtaining employment, benefits and reentry into the United States. The new documents will be renewable every 10 years.

* Who must apply: Anyone holding a Form I-151 green card issued before 1979. The document has no expiration date and lacks the bearer’s signature and fingerprints.

* How to apply: Green card holders generally must go to an office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Applicants must bring their current green card, a photocopy of the document, front and back, and a completed application (Form I-90), and pay a $75 filing fee. Those unable to pay may request a waiver.

* Where to apply: 300 N. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, 6 a.m to 3 p.m., Monday-Friday; 14560 Magnolia St., Westminster, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday; 777 Blaine St., Riverside, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays. (The Riverside office will open on Mondays as of Feb. 26.)

Applicants are advised to apply early. Those unable to appear in person because of advanced age or disability may request a waiver. For more information, call the INS at (800) 755-0777.