Thread: NC to get second immigration office

NC to get second immigration office
Updated: 06/04/2007 03:59 PM
By: Tim Boyum

DURHAM -- North Carolina will soon get a second immigration office.



Federal officials broke ground on a new building in Durham Monday. Federal officials hope it will speed up the process and help ease immigration growth across the state.



When the dirt and shovels transform into the 22,000 square foot building, federal officials hope it will have a huge impact.



"U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is primarily responsible for helping people coming to the U.S. to get benefits to understand the complicated immigration process," Raleigh/Durham Director Jeffrey Sapko said.



It's a process that can take six months or more to get citizenship. It often requires several trips to the immigration office and right now there's just one of them in the entire state.



"Before people in eastern North Carolina would have to travel to Charlotte for services which for some people may be up to 4 hours," Sapko added.



The Charlotte office sees 500 people a day by appointment only. The latest statistics show in 2005 nearly 17,000 people gained citizenship alone-5000 more than the year before.



Officials said it might not have an impact on illegal immigration itself. It's more of a convenience factor for those trying to become citizens and the department.



"I'm not sure it's a deterrent effect or a magnet effect as much as a good business decision for us," U.S. Immigration Services Director Emilio Gonzalez said.



"It's not going to increase or decrease the people searching for legal status, it's simply going to make the process more understandable and more efficient way of doing it," Rep. David Price (D-4th) said.



Gonzalez hopes it will speed up the process for those for citizenship in the eastern part of the state who don't have to travel and ease the burden in charlotte as well.



Construction is already underway and the office should open next March. The U.S. Citizenship Office is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

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Federal officials broke ground on a new building in Durham Monday. Federal officials hope it will speed up the process and help ease immigration growth across the state.

What they should have said, was that it will make immigration easy.

They should be building an ICE detention center instead!