Immigrants Line Up as Entryway Closes

Illegal immigrants stood in long lines at Immigration and Naturalization Service offices across the country to file last-minute applications for an expiring program that allowed them to stay in the United States after paying a $1,000 fine. The program allowed illegal immigrants who are close relatives of U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents or noncitizens sponsored by their employers to obtain “green cards,” or documents allowing them to live and work in the United States, while they waited for the INS to process their immigration applications. INS officials were instructed to stop accepting applications for the program after midnight Wednesday.