• Immigrants Sue Over Citizenship Delays

In Miami, 13 elderly and disabled immigrants filed a class-action lawsuit against the INS in response to the citizenship application backlog which has caused them to wait much longer than the 120 day limit after their interviews without approval or denial. In a related story, the INS office in New York City announced that interviews for permanent residency would be delayed one year due to the shift of personnel to work on the citizenship backlog. The backlog is most serious in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Miami and Chicago. The average wait nationally is 18 months in contrast to INS' goal of six months.

• Citizenship Application Expedited for Soccer Player

David Regis, a native of France, recently became a U.S. citizen, so he could play for the U.S. World Cup soccer team. His citizenship application was expedited under a provision of the Immigration and Naturalization Act benefiting individual's with a US citizen spouse living abroad and employed by the U.S. Government, an American research institution or and American corporation that promotes foreign trade and commerce. Regis's wife met the criteria. Because the normal waiting period for a citizenship application can take years and INS is currently backlogged with millions of applications, some criticized Regis' ability to bypass the lines.

• Atlanta INS Office Turns Away Citizenship Applicants

The Atlanta INS office has turned away up to 60 citizenship applicants each week who need to be fingerprinted, because its office is too small and overcrowded. Even those with INS-assigned appointments have been told to leave. This comes after INS changed its fingerprint rules, requiring applicants to be fingerprinted by INS and not by private agencies or police departments. The Atlanta INS office has the slowest processing times in the country for citizenship applications. Processing time reports show waiting periods up to an astounding four years for a naturalization case.

• Possible Misuse of Funds for English and Citizenship Classes

Federal officials have launched an investigation of 10 California non-profit organizations that allegedly misused some funds granted to them for English and citizenship classes. Representatives of the 10 organizations have denied the allegations. The alleged wrongdoing includes paying for classes that were never held and equipment that was never purchased, as well as other fraudulent practices.

• Thousands Become Citizens in Florida

Despite a huge INS citizenship backlog, 5,000 people in South Florida took the oath of citizenship during the first week of June. Those sworn in represented 77 countries.