FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          AG
Friday, April 25, 1997                             (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888


      Attorney General Reno and INS Commissioner Meissner
                Announce New Naturalization Team
                                
     Attorney General Janet Reno and Immigration and
Naturalization Service Commissioner Doris Meissner today
announced that they would draw on the talents of  a senior-level,
career Department of Justice administrator and the former
Comptroller General of the United States, to aid INS in
addressing the pressing need to improve the integrity of the
nation's naturalization system.

     On Monday, April 28, the Attorney General will assign Robert
K. Bratt, currently with the Justice Department's Criminal
Division,  to INS to serve as Executive Director for
Naturalization Operations.  Working directly under the
Commissioner, he will oversee the operations of the
naturalization program and develop an action plan to correct the
systemic problems within the program.  The Attorney General and
the Commissioner have pledged to give him whatever resources he
needs to do the job. 

     Bratt's first priority will be to ensure current
naturalization case processing follows Quality Assurance
procedures, and he will directly manage the field operations 
staff responsible for implementing those procedures.  He also
will supervise the implementation of recommendations stemming
from the ongoing review by INS and KPMG Peat Marwick of the over
one million naturalizations granted during Fiscal Year 1996.  

     Charles A. Bowsher, former Comptroller General of the United
States, will serve as Special Advisor to the Commissioner, a
part-time, non-compensated contract position.  He will assist in
the development of the action plan and advise the Commissioner on
the best ways to implement the new procedures.

     "I am committed to taking any and all steps necessary to
ensure the integrity of the nation's naturalization program,"
said Reno.  "We owe it to the American people and to the
thousands of honest hardworking immigrants who each year seek
citizenship, to have a program that is fair and efficient while
maintaining the high standard such a precious benefit deserves."

     "The experience and talent of Bob Bratt and Charles Bowsher
will help INS overcome the greatest management challenge this
agency faces," said Meissner.  "I look forward to working with
them both."

     Bratt, who has been with the Department for 19 years, is
currently the executive officer for the Criminal Division where
he is responsible for the overall management of the division's
administrative functions, including budget, personnel,
automation, and security programs.  He is an experienced
management troubleshooter, who has overseen sensitive and complex
departmental efforts.  Bratt has received numerous awards for
outstanding performance, including the President's Distinguished
Executive Rank Award, and the Attorney General's Award for
Excellence in Management, the highest management award given
within the Justice Department.

     Bowsher was appointed Comptroller General by President
Ronald Reagan in 1981 and served in that capacity until November
of 1996.  The Comptroller General is the principal officer of the
General Accounting Office and is responsible for evaluating the
operations of all government agencies and programs, and advising
Congress on their economy, effectiveness and efficiency.  GAO
also develops recommendations on ways in which Federal programs
can be improved.
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