Immigration and Naturalization Service's FY1999 Budget
Publication Date: August 1998
Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Author(s):
Research Area: Population and demographics
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Abstract:
The House-passed Commerce, Justice, State (CJS), and the Judiciary Appropriations Act (H.R. 4276) would provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) with $4.1 billion, an increase of $340 million over the agency’s FY1998 budget, while the Senate-passed measure (S. 2260) would provide the agency with $3.9 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, an increase of $142 million over this fiscal year. By comparison, the Administration’s FY1999 budget request for INS was $4.2 billion.
Both the Senate and House Appropriations Committees earmarked $103 million to increase the Border Patrol by 1,000 additional agents. For interior enforcement of immigration laws, the House earmarked an increase of $49 million, while the Senate earmarked $13 million. Both Committees earmarked a transfer of $5 million in immigration fees from INS to the Department of Justice Management Division to continue efforts to revamp the naturalization process. In addition, the House Committee earmarked nearly $80 million in immigration examination fee receipts to continue efforts to improve the integrity of naturalization process.
The Senate bill, S. 2260, includes a number of noteworthy provisions. One provision would remove a limitation Congress placed on adjustments of status for potential immigrants who had either entered without inspection or overstayed the terms of their nonimmigrant visa (Section 245(i)). The second provision would repeal a requirement of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (Division C, P.L. 104-208) that requires the development of an entry/exit control system to track non-citizen arrivals and departures. The third provision would amend another provision of P.L. 104-208 to provide for the replacement of border crossing cards incrementally over a four year period, rather than in their entirety by the end of FY1999. A fourth provision, the result of a floor amendment, would provide for an expanded temporary agricultural worker program.