According to a recent e-mail statement issued by the INS Community Affairs Office, rumors that local INS field offices will close as a result of the INS transition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are false.   District Offices, Application Support Centers (ASCs), Service Centers and Asylum offices will remain open and in their existing locations.  In addition, the public can still call the National Customer Center Call Center at 1-800-375-5283 (1-800-767-1833 for the hearing impaired) and will be able to visit the web site at http://www.BCIS.gov for up-to-date forms and information.  Please note, however, that this website is not yet operational.

The INS will transition into three bureaus within DHS:- the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS); the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE); and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (BCBP).   BCIS will handle customer service functions including providing information to the public, forms, benefits, asylum and refugee processing; BICE will handle interior enforcement; and BCBP will handle border enforcement.

The statement also clarified that forms and documents issued by the former INS are still valid. This includes documents such as Alien Registration Cards (green cards), Certificates of Citizenship, Employment Authorization Documents, travel and advance parole documents, Form I-94 Arrival and Departure Record and others.   These documents will continue to be valid and accepted by the BCIS and other agencies as evidence of an individual's immigration status in the United States.

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