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Release Date: 03/06/03 00:00:00
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 6, 2003
Washington, DC - The Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Gordon England, and Acting Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS), Eduardo Aguirre Jr., have announced the appointment of Interim Regional Directors and Interim District Directors for the BCIS. The appointments became effective March 1 when BCIS formally assumed responsibility for the administration of immigration benefits.
The interim directors will work out of the current locations of the 33 District Offices and the three regional offices of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
"These men and women will play a critical role in preserving our nation's proud immigration tradition while preserving the integrity of the system and helping secure the homeland," said Deputy Secretary England.
"The establishment of a bureau devoted exclusively to the administration of immigration benefits represents a historic opportunity," said Acting Director Aguirre. "That singleness of purpose, together with the dedication and expertise of our workforce, will greatly enhance our ability to deliver services to the millions who seek out our benefits every year."
The BCIS is made up of some 15,000 employees and contractors headed by a director who reports to the Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security. The Bureau will be responsible for the administration of immigration benefits and services including the processing of citizenship applications, family and employment-based petitions, registration, and asylum and refugee processing. The BCIS has launched an outreach campaign to reassure the public about the status of INS documents, offices, and services during the ongoing transition.
The BCIS is one of three components within the Department of Homeland Security tasked with the duties formerly assigned to the INS. The other two bureaus, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (BCBP) and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE), will assume responsibility for immigration enforcement activities at the border and in the nation's interior.
Eastern Region, Louis D. Crocetti
Central Region, Ken Pasquarell
Western Region, Carolyn Muzika
Interim BCIS Directors
Eastern Region Locations:
Atlanta, Rosemary Melville
Baltimore, Richard Caterisano
Boston, Dennis Riordan
Buffalo, Frances Holmes
Cleveland, Mark Hansen
Detroit, Carol Jenifer
Miami, Jack Bulger
New Orleans, Jack Bennett
New York City, Mary Ann Gantner
Newark, Andrea Quarantillo
Philadelphia, Angela Klapakis
Portland, Maine, Rodolfo Lara
San Juan, Puerto Rico, Robert Bowle
Washington District, Phyllis Howard
Central Region Locations:
Chicago, Donald Monica
Dallas, Angela Barrows
Denver, Michael Comfort
El Paso, Raymond Adams
Harlingen, Michael Trominski
Helena, James Cole
Houston, Hipolito Acosta
Kansas City, Michelle Perry
Omaha, Gerald Heinauer
San Antonio, Sharon Hudson
St. Paul, Curtis Aljets
Western Region Locations:
Anchorage, Bernadette Doody
Honolulu, David Gulick
Los Angeles, Jane Arellano
Phoenix, Stephen Fickett
Portland, Oregon, Jerry Garcia
San Diego, Debbie Rogers
San Francisco, David Still
Seattle, Robert Okin
This page was last modified on 03/06/03 00:00:00