In a letter sent to the attorney general today, Grassley argued that the changing demographics in Iowa require an expanded presence of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
In 1996, Grassley took the lead in establishing the first-ever INS office in Iowa. In addition to the fully staffed INS office in Des Moines, Grassley's work on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration helped put additional INS enforcement agents and caseworkers on the job in Cedar Rapids and Sioux City in subsequent years.
This week, community leaders from the Quad Cities met with Grassley in Washington during their annual visit to the nation's capital. Grassley said members of the group expressed support for an INS office in the community to enforce immigration laws and manage casework.
A copy of Grassley's letter to Ashcroft follows here.
March 14, 2002
The Honorable John Ashcroft
Attorney General
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Attorney General Ashcroft:
Like many other states during the last ten years, Iowa has experienced a demographic shift with a new wave of immigrants pursuing the American dream. Iowa's economic future depends on the state's ability to attract newcomers who want to become citizens. On the other hand, Iowans are hesitant to welcome those who have come through the back door and have disregarded our country's immigration laws.
To accommodate and manage the changing face of Iowa, I've worked to build a substantial INS presence on the ground in Iowa. We need manpower to process the paperwork that accompanies legal immigration and to enforce the nation's immigration laws so the system is fair to those who follow the rules to become American citizens.
Today, I'm writing to ask you to seriously consider establishing an INS presence in the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area incorporating the Iowa communities of Davenport and Bettendorf and the Illinois communities of Moline and Rock Island. It is the home of over 360,000 people.
The increasing number of illegal aliens concerns all residents of Iowa as well as those in the Quad Cities. There has been a tendency for these aliens to assimilate into smaller communities where work is available and there is less chance of being caught. Because there are no INS law enforcement agents in the Quad Cities and local law enforcement are not permitted to detain illegal immigrants, a community like the Quad Cities can be a haven for illegal immigrants trying to avoid detection.
This urban area inherits crime- and drug-related problems from Chicago with its location on Interstate 80. The Quad Cities is home to the Rock Island Arsenal, and is an important piece of our national defense infrastructure that presents additional security concerns and warrants the presence of federal law enforcement.
Not only would I appreciate your support in considering the Quad Cities as a location for more INS enforcement officials, I would implore you to add more service personnel for that area of the state. Because of the cultural diverse background of the current population, and the welcoming attitude by most residents, more immigrants are pouring into the Quad Cities area.
In 1996, I fought for the first Immigration and Naturalization Service Office in Iowa. As it stands today, individuals working their way through the naturalization process must travel to either Des Moines or Chicago and sometimes Omaha for paperwork processing. The already lengthy bureaucratic process is made more burdensome by the distance these people need to travel and the expense they incur to comply with the law.
Agencies in the Quad Cities region and beyond that help process applications for permanent residence are being inundated with requests to help. States with populations comparable to Iowa, such as Minnesota and Colorado, have more than one INS Service Application Center. My hope is that you will consider adding service personnel for Eastern Iowa and placing the next INS service center in the Quad Cities.
Recognizing the growing demands on the INS, Congress has provided additional resources to the agency. Given the level of activity in Iowa, it is appropriate that a fair portion of this new money be directed to an area of the state that needs additional attention.
I appreciate your assistance in helping Iowa with both legal and illegal immigration matters. I look forward to hearing from you regarding my request and discussing it in further detail.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
United States Senator