Several of the nation's leading immigration advocacy organizations have signed off on a letter to Tom Ridge, Secretary-Designate of the new Department of Homeland Security. DHS will be taking over the functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service this year. The groups signing on to the letter included the following:

- American Immigration Lawyers Association

- Catholic Legal Immigration Network

- Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society

- National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium

- National Association of Latino Elected Officials

- National Council of La Raza

- National Immigration Forum

- United Jewish Communities/Washington Action Office

The letter chiefly addresses the integration of the INS into DHS. A number of different recommendations are offered by the groups.

- Coordination

The groups are urging Ridge to ensure that the work of the new Directorate of Border and Transportation Security and the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services are adequately coordinated. The groups state that this issue is not adequately addressed in the law creating DHS.

- Adequate Attention to Both Enforcement and Services

The groups are urging that the two new bureaus receive equal attention, support and funding. User fees should be supplemented with direct Congressional appropriations.

- Expertise and Accountability

The transition should be undertaken so as to ensure that services are not interrupted or delayed. Officials in charge must remain accountable for problems resulting from the reorganization

- Ports of Entry

Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services personnel should be present at each port of entry and be given key responsibilities there

- Local Immigration Offices

The groups want to ensure that local immigration offices are adequately staffed and funded in order to remain accessible to the communities they serve.

- Visa Policy

The Directorate of Border and Transportation Security, which has the authority to establish and administer rules governing the granting of visas, should balance national security and economic security needs when setting policy rather than making physical security the only factor in setting policy.

- Refugees

Two dedicated corps for asylum and refugee claims should be preserved within the Citizenship and Immigration Services structure.

- Civil Rights Protections

The civil rights and privacy officers called for in the DHS bill should be empowered to effectively protect civil rights and liberties.

- Ombudsman

Secretary Ridge is urged to ensure that the ombudsmen called for in the legislation to identify problems and recommend changes be adequately funded.

- Private Sector Liaison and Advisory Councils

The new law calls for an official to be appointed to serve as a liaison to the private sector to do outreach and evaluate the impact of the department's policies, regulations and actions. The advocacy groups are urging DHS to adequately fund this ital function.

The new DHS is still formulating the transition plan and we will report on this major story as we learn more.