The INS, or United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, was formerly a part of the US Department of Justice. On March 1, 2003, the INS was disbanded and its functions were transferred to departments within the Department of Homeland Security. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are currently responsible for the functions formerly held by the INS. Before March 1, 2003, the INS was responsible for governing and enforcing the regulations that apply to the entry of non-U.S. citizens, including the detainment and deportation of those that illegally entered the country, the adjudication of immigrant and naturalization petitions, and the patrolling of US borders.

The commissioner of the INS was appointed by the President, and worked closely with other US and Worldwide agencies, including the United Nations, Department of State, and Department of Health and Human Services. The INS was formerly comprised of four main divisions, namely Programs, Field Operations, Policy and Planning, and Management. The Programs division handled immigration enforcement and governed illegal and legal entry. The Field Operations division oversaw the field offices of the INS that operated in the US and abroad. The Policy and Planning as well as the Management division handled the managerial functions of the INS, including the communication with other governmental agencies and the public.

The history of immigration regulations in the United States can be traced back to when states began to pass immigration laws following the Civil War. In turn, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that immigration was a federal responsibility in 1875. In 1882, the first comprehensive immigration law was passed, which prohibited the entry of “lunatics” and “idiots,” and immigration enforcement and authority was delegated to the Secretary of Treasury. With the Immigration Act of 1891, an Office of the Superintendent of Immigration was established. The Office of the Superintendent of Immigration was responsible for processing immigrants who were seeking admittance to the United States. Immigration Inspectors were stationed at major U.S. ports of entry, and collected a “tax” of 50 cents per immigrant.

By 1892, Ellis Island, located in the harbor of New York, became the nation’s primary immigration station and also became infamous for corruption and brutality scandals. In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed a respected attorney to take charge of the tribulations that were plaguing Ellis Island. In 1903, Congress transferred the Bureau of Immigration to the newly created, and now non-existent, Department of Commerce and Labor in an effort to focus on the primary concerns of immigration- to protect American workers and wages. Post-World War I prompted an influx of immigrants, and Congress responded by passing the Immigration Act of 1924. This Act limited the number of immigrants by nationality, and assigned a quota to each nationality. Only a limited number of visas were issued on a yearly basis, and only immigrants who could present valid visas were permitted entry.

The INS was transferred two more times before its 2003 disbandment. In 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt transferred the INS from the Department of Labor to the Department of Justice, and in June 2002, the INS was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. Within the past decade, staffing for the INS doubled and the agency ranked first in federal criminal convictions among major federal investigative agencies.