U.S. immigration head affirms importance of national security

Published: 2006-03-08

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Those who apply to work, live and become citizens in the U.S. are customers of the federal department that processes immigration and will be treated with fairness, but protecting national security is most important, said the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "I genuinely believe you can have both," solving the problem of a backlog of applications and ensuring national security, said Emilio Gonzalez, who in January was sworn in as the director, which is an undersecretary position within the Department of Homeland Security. "But, the minute you can't have both, I err on the side of national security." Gonzalez, who emigrated from Cuba and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, met with journalists March 7 in an invitation-only, round-table discussion in Washington to introduce himself and answer questions. It was his first sit-down session with journalists since he started the job.

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