ACT HAS IMMIGRANTS MARRYING OUT OF FEAR.

Byline: Luz Villarreal Daily News Staff Writer

With spring in the air and new sweeping federal immigration laws looming, the line for marriage licenses extended out the door Monday at Los Angeles County's Register-Recorder's Office in East Los Angeles.

Jose and Lupe waited 12 years to get to this place in their lives.

He is a U.S. citizen. She is not. While the couple planned to marry, the Salvadoran immigrants reasoned that tying the knot now might help Lupe's chances of becoming a citizen under new federal laws.

They weren't alone in their belief.

Nearly 5,000 couples sought marriage licenses in the first 21 days of March - about 1,200 more than usual - in a race to the altar that authorities attribute to widespread confusion and fear in the immigrant community about the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996.

The laws were scheduled to go into effect today, but a federal judge, citing a technicality, delayed implementation until Saturday.

Immigration and Naturalization Service officials say the new law gives them the tools they need to stem illegal immigration, speed removal of undocumented residents and deter others from following in their footsteps.

But in the days leading up to the deadline, hundreds of illegal immigrants flooded telephone lines at local immigration service centers questioning rumors about widespread INS sweeps and mass deportations.

``That's entirely untrue,'' Virginia Kice, an INS spokeswoman said of the rumors. ``These rules shore up the integrity to enforce the immigration law but it isn't going to precipitate the apocalypse some people are anticipating for April 1.''

The laws - the most extensive rewriting of the nation's immigration laws in two decades - make it easier to deport undocumented immigrants and turn away certain people looking to enter the country.

Now, an immigration officer, instead of a judge, can order an illegal immigrant deported. Also, immigrants may no longer appeal deportation to the federal courts, but only to an appeals board, according to the law.

Once the law goes into effect, the clock will start ticking for people in the country illegally. After Saturday, anyone staying in the United States illegally for 180 days will be barred from returning legally into this country for three years.

People currently here illegally but who qualify for legal residence can pay a $1,000 penalty fee and apply to the INS to have their status changed. But that privilege is set to expire Sept. 30.

As for marriages, the new law does not apply. But many immigrants are under the impression that if they marry before the law kicks in, they will benefit.

Marriage ceremonies in Los Angeles County have surged by more than 30 percent since last year, according to officials. In January and February, 8,078 marriages were recorded in the county, up nearly 2,000 from the same period last year, according to Celia Magat of the county Registrar-Recorder's Office.

The rate of ``I do's'' picked up even more in March. During the first three weeks of the month, 4,685 unions were recorded.

On Monday, the county's main Registrar-Recorder's Office in Norwalk was doing a brisk business.

``It's crazy here,'' Magat said.

In Canoga Park, phone calls have averaged 30 to 40 a day at El Centro De Amistad from people with questions about the new law.

``The calls started about three weeks ago,'' said Mario Castellanos, information and referral coordinator. ``People are asking for information on what will happen to them. Some people have asked us if we marry couples here. We don't.''

Immigration officials are aware of the nationwide surge in nuptials, and have sought to set the record straight that a marriage of convenience will not protect undocumented immigrants from the new law.

Currently, if a couple marries, the citizen can apply to have the undocumented spouse legalized. If the marriage is determined legitimate, the undocumented spouse is granted residency conditional on an interview in two years. If the couple is still together after two years, the immigrant can attain permanent residency and apply for citizenship one year later.

In San Fernando, the number of immigrants seeking to change their status has increased.

``Last month, we processed two to 10 people a day,'' said Eduardo Palacios, executive director of Immigration Services of Santa Rosa. ``The last two weeks, we are processing 100 people a day for both citizenship and a change of status.''

CAPTION(S):

box, photo

PHOTO Couples stand in line waiting to obtain marriage licenses Monday at the county Registrar-Recorder's Office in East Los Angeles.

Tina Gerson/Daily News

Box: Immigration Act: key provisions (see text)