WASHINGTON'Capping years of frustration, the House voted Thursday to overhaul the beleaguered Immigration and Naturalization Service, splitting up its law enforcement and service roles into separate bureaus within the Justice Department.
The bill passed 405-9, reflecting overwhelming support to straighten out an agency that has become legendary for bureaucratic incompetence, most recently when it notified a Florida flight school that two of the Sept. 11 terrorists had been approved for U.S. residency'six months after they bombed the World Trade Center.
The Senate could begin to consider its own version of INS overhaul as early as next week. While lawmakers still differ over details, the broad goal of reshaping the nation's immigration service sparks little controversy and may be one of the least disputed goals of Congress this year.
