INS Commissioner James Ziglar recently surprised the immigration world when he announced that he would resign as Commissioner by the end of the year. In a letter to President Bush, Ziglar said that he plans to return to the private sector, but that he would remain available to assist with the transition of the INS to the new Department of Homeland Security.
Ziglar had been on the job for barely a month when terrorist attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, bringing US immigration policy front and center. The attacks also created a significant shift in the focus of immigration policy. When he took office, Ziglar echoed the Bush administration’s desire to improve the immigration process and the services of the INS. This focus was rapidly changed to one of increased border security and scrutiny of all foreign visitors.
In addition to the tragedy of the September attacks, they also thwarted significant INS restructuring proposals, which appeared to have the support they needed to become law. Ziglar was well-liked by many members of Congress, and had served as the Senate Sergeant at Arms during the impeachment trial for former President Clinton, gaining praise for his bipartisanship. However, much of this goodwill dissipated after the attacks, when the INS was rocked by a series of scandals, including news that six months after the attacks, the INS mailed out approval notices for student visas for two of the hijackers.
Many immigration advocacy groups expressed disappointment in Ziglar’s decision. Despite taking office with no immigration experience, Ziglar quickly gained a reputation as someone willing to listen to those on all sides of the issue, and in some cases even took advocates’ advice. Attorney General John Ashcroft praised him for his service. Not everyone, however, was sad to see him go. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), one of the foremost critics of immigration in Congress, said the Justice Department “should have fired him a long time ago,” adding that Ziglar “is completely and totally incapable of running an agency of this magnitude.”
More reasoned criticism of Ziglar’s performance came from Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies. According to Krikorian, Ziglar’s many statements after September 11th warning against equating all immigrants with terrorists showed that Ziglar did not understand the importance of immigration policies to national security concerns.
Many began to suspect that Ziglar would leave the INS after it was decided to fold many of the INS’s functions into the new Homeland Security Department. These suspicions grew when it became apparent that instead of having Ziglar make announcements about increased immigration restrictions, Ashcroft was making them himself. There was also concern about where Ziglar, a pro-immigration Republican, fit into the party, which is becoming increasingly restrictionist.
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