Immigration closing office in East LA

The Associated Press
Posted: 11/08/2011 12:38:41 PM PST
Updated: 11/08/2011 12:38:43 PM PST

LOS ANGELES—Immigration officials say they are closing an office in East Los Angeles due to a decline in naturalization applications processed there.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says the office will close on Thursday and staff and casework assigned to East Los Angeles will be transferred to the agency's office in downtown Los Angeles.

Agency spokeswoman Mariana Gitomer says the goal is to consolidate the workload ahead of the opening of a new immigration office in San Fernando next year.

The East Los Angeles office opened in 1987 to help process applications for legalization in the largely Mexican immigrant enclave. In recent years, the office has mostly handled citizenship applications.

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