CITIZENSHIP PROCESS SPEEDED UP TO ADD NEW VOTERS, MEMOS SAY.Byline: David LaGesse The Dallas Morning News Republicans released White House memos Wednesday to buttress charges that the Clinton administration Noun 1. Clinton administration - the executive under President Clinton executive - persons who administer the law rushed immigrants to U.S. citizenship - and voting eligibility - in time for November's election. Aides to Vice President Al Gore Noun 1. Al Gore - Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton (born in 1948) Albert Gore Jr., Gore suggested ways this spring to speed naturalizations and encourage new citizens to register to vote, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. e-mail messages obtained by congressional investigators. ``Unless we blast INS INS abbr. 1. Immigration and Naturalization Service 2. International News Service Noun 1. INS headquarters loose from their grip on the front-line managers, we are going to have way too many people still waiting for citizenship in November,'' said a March message to Gore from aide Doug Farbrother. Immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. officials said they ignored many of the White House suggestions and kept politics out of the citizenship process, which led to a record 1 million new citizens during the year that ended Sept. 30. But the memos add ammunition to Republican charges that the White House, with an eye to winning California in the November election, believed speeding the citizenship process would lead to increased Democratic voter rolls. ``I think it taints the INS,'' Sen. Alan Simpson Alan Simpson may refer to:
An administration spokeswoman defended the Immigration and Naturalization Service Noun 1. Immigration and Naturalization Service - an agency in the Department of Justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the United States INS program, called Citizenship USA Citizenship USA was the name of a 1996 plan for United States President William J. Clinton's administration to register and naturalize one million Hispanics before that year's presidential election. It was documented in a report by California Representative Chris Cox on May 12, 1997. , as an effort to meet a surge in citizenship applications. Gore's staff wanted only to make the process more efficient as part of the vice president's ``reinventing government'' effort, said White House spokeswoman Mary Ellen Glynn. The naturalization naturalization, official act by which a person is made a national of a country other than his or her native one. In some countries naturalized persons do not necessarily become citizens but may merely acquire a new nationality. process gained the attention of Gore's government efficiency program - National Performance Review - in early 1995. The focus became more urgent by early 1996, when aides apparently had the upcoming election in mind - and possible backlash from an aggressive naturalization effort. ``INS Commissioner Doris Meissner warns that if we are too aggressive at removing the roadblocks to success, we might be publicly criticized for running a pro-Democrat voter mill,'' said a draft memo to President Clinton prepared by Gore's staff. Still, Farbrother proposed ``drastic'' measures, including a rapid delegation of authority The action by which a commander assigns part of his or her authority commensurate with the assigned task to a subordinate commander. While ultimate responsibility cannot be relinquished, delegation of authority carries with it the imposition of a measure of responsibility. to regional offices. Farbrother also lobbied unsuccessfully to become an INS deputy commissioner. Another invoked Clinton's name. ``The president is sick of this and wants action,'' wrote Elaine Kamarck, another Gore aide. White House aides may have wanted to push naturalization for political reasons, but their ideas largely fell on deaf ears, INS officials said. ``We did not allow it to become politicized and will not,'' Executive Associate Commissioner Alexander Aleinikoff said to the Senate subcommittee Wednesday. Even he, however, was disturbed by the White House memos released this week, Aleinikoff said. ``I was rather surprised and in one instance stunned.'' Simpson said at Wednesday's hearing that the White House itself appeared to think there might be political advantage in the new citizens. ``Why is an aide speaking about naturalization as a political matter?'' he asked. ``The point is not that the suggestions were bad,'' Simpson said. ``It's that the motive was extraordinarily bad.'' Democrats responded that Republicans have themselves to blame. ``It's poetic justice,'' said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. ``They complain that too many immigrants are becoming citizens and preparing to exercise their right to vote against anti-immigrant Republicans.'' |
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