Ziglar's announcement represented a shift for the INS, which has devoted little attention to people, known as "absconders," who disappear after deportation orders. Spokesmen said the agency has lacked the staff to go after many of the 7 million to 8 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, and has focused on a few high-priority groups, mainly criminals and immigrant smugglers.
Some of the hundreds of thousands of "absconders" disappeared after receiving a final deportation notice, which is known in immigrant communities as a "run letter" because that is what it prompts many to do. But enforcement has been so limited that many deportees do not bother hiding, said Susan F. Martin, director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University.
"They don't even run anymore. They know the INS won't go to their house to pick them up," she said.
Ziglar said his announcement was not part of the government's anti-terrorism campaign, but instead was aimed at making the INS "more effective." Still, it comes after alarm from legislators over the government's lax enforcement of immigration laws. Three of the 19 men blamed for the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes had stayed in the United States illegally beyond the limits imposed by their visas.
Ben Ferro, an immigration consultant and retired INS district director, said the crackdown was long overdue.
"Up until now, the INS had placed these absconders in the lowest possible priority," Ferro said. "It's courageous because he [Ziglar] is going to catch some flak over this" as people are removed from jobs, homes and families and sent back to their native countries.
Even some pro-immigration activists seemed unfazed. "What's important to know about these folks [is], they did have their day in court," said Angela Kelley, deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, a Washington group. "In the post-September 11th context, we've seen a lot of people's constitutional rights trampled on. It's those people I'm much more worried about."
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