Legal Definitions - INS

INS stands for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was a former agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for administering and enforcing U.S. immigration laws. Its primary functions included processing applications for visas, green cards, and naturalization, as well as enforcing immigration laws through border patrol and deportation proceedings. The INS was dissolved in 2003, and its responsibilities were transferred to various components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security (DHS), primarily U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Here are some examples illustrating the role of the INS:

• Example 1 (Historical Enforcement Action): In the late 1990s, a group of individuals was apprehended near the U.S. border attempting to enter the country without authorization. The subsequent processing, detention, and deportation proceedings for these individuals would have been conducted by the INS, as it was the federal agency responsible for border enforcement and immigration law violations at that time.

  This example demonstrates how the INS was directly involved in the enforcement aspect of immigration law, including the apprehension and processing of individuals who violated immigration statutes.

• Example 2 (Naturalization Process): An immigrant who had been a lawful permanent resident for many years decided to apply for U.S. citizenship in 2002. Their application, interview, and the final oath ceremony would have been managed and administered by the INS, which was responsible for all aspects of the naturalization process before its dissolution.

  This example illustrates the INS's role in facilitating the path to citizenship for eligible immigrants, handling the administrative and procedural steps required for naturalization.

• Example 3 (Policy Implementation): During the 1980s, the U.S. government enacted legislation that offered amnesty to certain undocumented immigrants. The INS was the primary agency tasked with developing and implementing the application process for this program, including reviewing eligibility criteria and processing millions of applications for legal status.

  This example shows how the INS was responsible for translating legislative mandates into actionable programs, managing large-scale immigration initiatives, and processing complex applications for changes in immigration status.