"Today's decision means that nearly three times as many agents will be working in Iowa to crack down on illegal immigration problems. Under direction from Congress, the INS has finally recognized that Iowa deserves a more equitable share of the federal resources set aside to fight this growing problem," Grassley said. "Only by enforcing the laws against illegal immigration can we ensure the door remains open for all the legal immigrants who wait in line for years and follow the rules to become U.S. citizens."
The 20 new agents will work on five INS teams in Iowa, as follows. Two new teams in the Des Moines office will include one supervisory special agent, three special agents and two detention officers. Two new teams in the Cedar Rapids office will include six special agents, one deportation officer, one supervisory detention officer, and one detention officer. One new team in the Sioux City office will include one supervisory special agent, two special agents and two detention officers.
These new agents were requested last November by Grassley in a letter to the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Doris Meissner. Grassley has tracked these requests and appealed repeatedly to the Commissioner and the Attorney General for a positive response. Meissner approved a request for 20 new enforcement agents for Iowa in December. Today, final approval was received from the Senate and House appropriations subcommittees that provide funding for the INS. The new positions are part of the Quick Response Team initiative passed by Congress last year.
Grassley has also asked for additional support and service personnel from the federal agency in charge of immigration. He has argued that a portion of the additional $170 million provided by Congress to the INS to address paperwork backlog problems should be directed to Iowa. "There is no doubt that the INS offices in Iowa deserve additional support for immigrant casework," Grassley said. "We need to encourage, not discourage, legal immigrants who follow the rules."
Grassley is a member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration. He was instrumental in winning approval in 1996 for INS offices to be located in Iowa. Those offices were opened in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Sioux City in 1997. Grassley also worked to secure additional INS personnel for Iowa that year.