INS seeks to hire more border control agents

Acting Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner Kevin Rooney on Wednesday emphasized the agency's commitment to border control in the coming fiscal year. At a hearing before the House Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations Subcommittee, Rooney said President Bush's $5.5 billion request for the INS "builds on" agency accomplishments. That figure represents a 10 percent increase over last year's funding, and will allow for the addition of 1,364 new staff positions, Rooney said. The thrust of the INS' fiscal 2002 budget, which includes an additional 570 border patrol agents and $75 million to support border control strategy, "is to extend ongoing initiatives aimed at controlling the nation's borders and maintaining the physical integrity of those borders," he said. Among other things, the INS intends to build on current border regulation efforts to deter and dismantle alien and drug smuggling rings; block suspected terrorists from entering the United States and remove incarcerated criminal aliens from the country. Rooney said the agency also wants to enhance services and reduce processing backlogs and immigrant benefit fraud.