The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service plans to open four centers in Illinois to accept applications from qualified aliens seeking to become legal residents under immigration reform legislation, the agency`s district director said Monday.
The director, A.D. Moyer, said the centers will be at Belmont Avenue and Pulaski Road on the Northwest Side and in suburban Blue Island, Forest Park and Aurora.
The service is also seeking to obtain two mobile units to serve Downstate areas, Moyer said at the first public hearing of a state task force on immigration reform set up by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D., Chicago).
The centers are scheduled to open May 5, when the service will begin its yearlong process of considering aliens` applications for legal status under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. The law provides for the legalization of people who entered the U.S. illegally before Jan. 1, 1982.
Moyer said the number of legalization centers was limited to four in Illinois–and about 110 nationwide–to keep down the cost of the program.
Arturo Jauregui, a task force member and an attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, criticized both the number of sites and their locations.
”Why only four centers in the whole state?” Jauregui asked. ”And why isn`t there a center in the Pilsen-Little Village area?”
Pilsen and Little Village, two of the city`s predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods, have the highest concentrations of aliens who are likely to benefit from the legalization program, Jauregui said.
Moyer defended the Forest Park location, saying it was easily accessible by public transportation and that it would serve Pilsen and Little Village residents, as well as other ethnic groups in the area.
”These legalization centers are not designed to serve one specific ethnic community,” Moyer said.
The centers will be staffed with people who speak a variety of languages and who will make sure people have completed their applications properly, Moyer said.
The service`s regulations issued earlier this month will affect an estimated $3.9 million illegal aliens nationwide, including about 300,000 Mexicans, Poles, Asians and others in the Chicago area.
”The regulations are even more difficult than they seem to be,” said State Rep. Joseph Berrios (D., Chicago), chairman of the task force–one of several ad hoc groups working to make the application process as smooth as possible. ”It`s such a complete mess.”
After hearing testimony from immigrant advocacy groups, Berrios said the task force would attempt to reduce the fees that immigration officials will charge aliens seeking residency.
”A lot of people will not be able to participate (in the legalization program) because they can`t afford it,” Berrios said.
The service will charge $185 for each adult seeking legal residency and $50 a child, with a maximum fee of $420 for a family.
Applicants also are required to pay for a medical examination, which Moyer estimated would cost about $50, and for certifying documents such as birth certificates. For those seeking help from attorneys or volunteer agencies, the cost would climb further, Moyer said.
