FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          AG
Thursday, March 20, 1997                           (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

      DOJ and INS Begin Redesign of Citizenship Program
          Coopers and Lybrand Selected to Lead Effort


     WASHINGTON --A project designed to revamp the system through
which immigrants become U.S. citizens will begin immediately,
announced Attorney General Janet Reno today.  Reno said that
Coopers and Lybrand L.L.P. (C&L), a "Big Six" accounting and
consulting firm based in McLean, Virginia, has been selected to
lead the reengineering effort.

     The goal of the reengineering project will be to review the
entire naturalization process, from the initial contact by an
applicant, through case adjudication and the swearing-in
ceremony, to the retirement of case records, in order to enhance
the integrity of the naturalization program, streamline the
process, reduce paperwork, and improve customer service. 

     "Last December 4, the Justice Department announced a series
of new steps to safeguard the integrity of the nation's
citizenship program," said Reno.  "Today, we have reached an
important milestone in the effort to improve the process through
which qualified individuals obtain the most precious benefit this
country can offer -- the privilege of becoming a U.S. citizen."

     The reengineering project is one of four steps being taken
to strengthen the integrity of the naturalization system, as
announced by the Justice Department and Immigration and
Naturalization Service last December 4.  It follows the
implementation of rigorous procedures to assure a 100%
verification of FBI background checks for all applicants, a
standardized quality assurance program in each INS office, and an
ongoing audit of all cases naturalized from August 1995 through
December 1996.

     "We look forward to working with Coopers and Lybrand on this
important project," said Doris Meissner, commissioner of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service.  "We believe that a
reengineered naturalization program will enable the Service to
meet its dual goals of safeguarding the integrity of the
citizenship process while ensuring that our customers receive
effective and timely consideration of their applications."

     The contract, worth $4.3 million, is expected to last 18-24
months and will consist of three phases: data-gathering and
process redesign, implementation, and evaluation.  C&L will
review all aspects of the naturalization program including
program organization, technology, facilities, organizational
culture, internal and external communications practices,
management structure and planning capacity.  Other related topics
will include civics and language testing, coordination between
INS and the Federal Bureau of Investigation related to criminal
history checks, partnerships between INS and community based
organizations, development of operating guidelines and employee
training.

     Under the direction of DOJ's Justice Management Division,
C&L will work closely with a full-time team of INS Naturalization
experts and with other key consultants to the DOJ and INS related
to this project.

                              ###
97-119