Citing both official reports and recent press stories about the inability of the Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Service to effectively and efficiently process millions of current applications, NPG President Donald Mann noted that Congress must provide the agency with whatever funding is needed to bring its operations into the 21st century as soon as possible.

Pointing to a report released in late December by Homeland Security Inspector General Richard M. Skinner that cited severe deficiencies in current operations as well as a distinct lack of resources needed to handle increased workloads, Mann said "It is unfortunate that Congressional leaders have not held USCIS' feet to the fire and continue to tolerate its continued bureaucratic bungling."

Mann went on to state that "A breakdown in USCIS' efforts to modernize its internal systems and build a functioning infrastructure is detrimental to having an effective and enforceable immigration policy."

Noting that NPG opposes any guest-worker or amnesty program and citizenship for illegal immigrants, Mann noted that "it is simply in the nation's best interests to have a competent, up-to-date system to back up our nation's immigration laws."

"Congress has yet to act on immigration reform. But whatever it decides it still falls on USCIS to investigate, register, track, and process a crushing load of millions of people entering and exiting our country. They cannot continue to be so ill-prepared!" Mann declared.

Mann stressed that while an agency's efficiency is supposed to transcend politics, he was hopeful that the new Democratic Congress will work to improve the USCIS.

"When the national press reports that the USCIS is in the midst of it's third major modernization effort in three years' and is still lost in a myriad of 'cost, timing and contracting challenges' then something is radically wrong", he said.

He added, "As a nation faced with a skyrocketing population fueled by uncontrolled immigration, Congressional debate on new immigration policies must go forward. It is important that the USCIS is up to the task of whatever is decided."

Mann concluded his remarks by asserting "If America continues down the current road where illegal immigration runs rampant and our government continues to shirk its responsibility to enforce our laws, our country is going to pay a terrible price in the end. Congress can and must act to fix this problem now!"