INS Appoints New District Director
The Immigration and Naturalization Service on Wednesday appointed Thomas J. Schiltgen as district director in Los Angeles, the agency’s largest office in the country.
Schiltgen, 45, a 23-year INS veteran who now serves as district director in San Francisco, replaces Richard K. Rogers, who retired Sept. 30. The new director will assume the L.A. posting in January, said INS Commissioner Doris Meissner.
In the $100,000 post, Schiltgen will oversee an office that encompasses seven southern California counties and has more than 1,700 employees at 19 sites.
Each day, the INS says, more than 2,500 people inquire about immigration benefits and attend interviews in the Los Angeles district.
Among Schiltgen’s major challenges will be to untangle a backlog of 400,000 citizenship applications. Waiting times now often exceed two years to become a U.S. citizen in Los Angeles.
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