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USCIS to archive old records

By
DEBBIE MCGOLDRICK
,
Irish Voice Editor
Published Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 12:48 PM
Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 5:19 PM
Read more: United States, Citizenship and Naturalization, Immigration


Immigration records will soon be archived.

I was rummaging through a closet that badly needed to be cleaned last week when I came across my late mother’s U.S. naturalization certificate, issued when she took the oath in Mineola, Long Island at the Supreme Court of Nassau County on May 18, 1962.

Margaret Teresa Ryan, originally from Rathmore, Co. Kerry, wasn’t yet married to James McGoldrick – that would come a couple of years later – and I often remember her telling me about the day she became a U.S. citizen. She wasn’t particularly well versed on U.S. history, but her inquisitor, a friend of a friend of a friend, wasn’t bothered. He welcomed her to America with open arms, and the rest is history.

It’s funny how I was reminded of that story last week, just at the same time as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (UCSIS) announced that it has begun the process of archiving old alien records that will eventually become part of the U.S. National Archives.

USCIS has just commenced the process of archiving 135,000 records of people born before 1909, and who arrived in the U.S. after 1900. It’s a small number in the larger context of how many have come to the U.S. throughout the years, but a start must be made somewhere. These so-called “A-files,” and all the personal information they contain, should be available for viewing starting next summer.

“Immigration is one of the most significant aspects of the American experience,” said Gregory Smith, associate director of USCIS.

“ The information contained in the A-file is unique.  No other type of case file contains the same level of comprehensive personal data…especially concerning the alien’s interaction with USCIS and the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, and their request for resident status and/or citizenship.  This ensures that the records contained within the A-file will be retained forever in our National Archives, preserving a rich and important part of America’s immigration history.”

It’s fortunate that this process is getting underway. A-files used to be considered temporary records, and USCIS could have destroyed them 75 years after a file was last acted upon. Now, however, all the files will be preserved for good, which is undoubtedly a dream come true for modern day and future genealogists.

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