Immigration Agency Dons a Friendlier Face

The record numbers of immigrants applying to become American citizens will now have a cushy place to check on the progress of the large citizenship backlog: the newly renovated New York offices of the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

At the grand opening of the new customer service center in the Federal Building in Manhattan yesterday, immigration officials cut the ribbon in a sleek waiting room that now looks less like the Department of Motor Vehicles and more like an executive airport lounge.

The director of NALEO, Arturo Vargas, who ran the "Citizenship, It's Time!" campaign, called the group's efforts a success, although he noted: "The question is how many people who applied in '07 will be able to make it through in '08 — I don't think anyone really knows."