 NEWS BYTES
A joint effort between the San Antonio INS office and the US Army Community Service program at Ft. Hood has been recognized by the National Performance Review and will be awarded the vice-presidential Hammer Award. This award was developed by V.P. Al Gore as special recognition for federal employees who have developed innovative ways of making government work better for those it serves. The program in question was developed to ease the citizenship application process for non-citizens who served in the US military.
The Dallas INS District Office has a new director. William G. Harrington, acting director at the office for almost a year, has been officially appointed to the position. Harrington is a 33-year veteran of the INS, and spent most of his time with the Border Patrol. He takes over an office that has been experiencing turmoil in recent times, including internal dissension and lawsuits based on claims of discrimination. One improvement Harrington seeks to make is providing a shaded waiting area for those standing in line (the office serves so many people they could not all wait indoors unless a much larger building were constructed). He also wants to bring a more personal attitude to the staff at the office, hoping to have INS officers treat applicants like clients and people, not a file in a brown folder.
On June 24, 1999 the Executive Office for Immigration Review announced the appointment of a new Vice-Chairman and a new member for the Board of Immigration Appeals. The new Vice-Chairman is Lori Scialabba, who was appointed to the BIA in March 1998, and the new BIA member is Neil P. Miller. Miller’s appointment brings the number of BIA members currently designated to 17, only one short of its standard 18 person roster.
The Salt Lake City, Utah INS office has a new officer in charge, Steve Branch. He is already making friends with immigration advocates in the area, despite his long history of service in the Border Patrol. Branch wants to ensure his office gives people the service and benefits they deserve, and does it right the first time. The Salt Lake City Office has been suffering lately from low employee morale and this is one of the things Branch really wants to change.
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