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  1. #1
    Senior Member cvangel's Avatar
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    New immigration offices open in South Florida

    Posted on Monday, 12.15.08
    New immigration offices open in South Florida


    Photos BY EVAN S. BENN
    ebenn@MiamiHerald.com
    The differences between the old, fortress-like immigration building at 79th Street and Biscayne Boulevard and the four new South Florida facilities now opening are like night and day.

    Old: Pay $10 to park, wait in line all day, then go somewhere else for processing.

    New: Park for free, sit in comfortable chairs until appointment time, get everything taken care of in one place.

    ''The conditions at the old location were just not acceptable any longer,'' said Michael Aytes, acting deputy director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. ``The idea is to have a welcoming, comfortable place that demonstrates to our customers how much we value them.''

    Aytes is in Miami for a grand-opening ceremony Tuesday at one of the new buildings, which officially opens for business Wednesday on Northwest Seventh Avenue in West Little River. Two other locations, in Hialeah and Kendall, have already opened, and a fourth, in Oakland Park, will be up and running by the end of the month.

    South Florida immigrants have viewed the 79th Street building as an icon of frustration since 1983. It became ground zero for all kinds of immigration protests, from the deportation of Haitians to the Elián González drama in 2000. And it sprouted a cottage industry of lawyers, parking attendants and interpreters of Spanish, Creole and Portuguese.

    The boxy, sand-yellow structure was an imposing presence, allowing occupants to see outside but appearing prison-like from the street.

    The new buildings -- all designed in the same mold, but the Miami location has a second floor for offices -- look akin to airport terminals.

    Visitors walk in to an open atrium with large windows and skylights. They go through metal detectors and X-ray scanners and are directed to a room on the right for interview appointments, to the left for fingerprints or straight ahead for naturalization ceremonies.

    The cushioned chairs are made from recycled materials -- so are the floors -- and the lighting fixtures and other design elements are energy-efficient, earning the facilities certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

    The building locations are all along public-transportation routes, and immigrants can log on to www.uscis.gov to determine which facility to go to based on ZIP code.

    ''We're also sending out letters so people know about this transition to new offices and so there is no gap in the services we provide,'' said Ana Santiago, spokeswoman for the immigration agency's Southeastern and Caribbean district. ``This is going to make people's lives so much easier. It will no longer be a day-long trip to the immigration office.''

    Processing times for immigration applications are also expected to be shorter, a promise Aytes said was tied into the agency's raising its fees last year. Applying for a green card went from $325 to $905 and citizenship from $330 to $595. It now takes about 10 months to complete the naturalization process in South Florida and six months for status adjustments. By September, the agency hopes to cut those processing times to five months and four months, respectively.

    ''From start to finish, we want to give people easier access and a smoother experience,'' said Linda Swacina, the agency's Miami and Caribbean district director. ``The difference will be dramatic.''


    http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/813912.html

  2. #2
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    More government sanctioned stolen social security number and fraudulent document distribution centers. Does the madness ever end???????
    There is no freedom without the law. Remember our veterans whose sacrifices allow us to live in freedom.

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