By Wendy S. Ross
Washington File Staff Writer

Attorney General John Ashcroft issued the oath of allegiance to 3,000 new U.S. citizens at a citizenship ceremony in the Convention Center in Miami, Florida March 28.

The new citizens range in age from 18 to 100, and come from 80 nations on different continents from all around the world.

"On behalf of the American people," the Attorney General said, "I congratulate you on taking one of the most significant steps of your lives."

"Each of you will leave here with the highest title our government can give to anyone. You will be a fellow citizen. You have chosen to participate fully in the most enduring democracy ever created. I applaud your choice because I believe your individual lives will be better and your contributions as citizens will make our country even stronger and more vibrant."

President Bush, speaking to the new citizens through a video message, reminded them that, "today America is not only your home; it is your country. With a single oath, all at once, you became as fully American as the most direct descendants of the Founding Fathers."

Bush encouraged continued hard work, the spirit of entrepreneurship, love of family and love of country.

Following the ceremony, Ashcroft told a news conference that in his 30 years of public service he had never had a higher honor than welcoming people as new citizens of the United States. One of the new citizens, he noted, "is finishing his 100th year of life and is an inspiration indeed."

Ashcroft said the United States is a land that has been enhanced and strengthened because individuals have come from all over the world to contribute to it. He compared the makeup of the United States with that of the Olympics.

"The Olympics are a set of games where people come from every quarter of the globe to achieve at the highest levels known to mankind," the Attorney General said.

"And when the Olympics come to the United States, they literally mirror what has been happening in the United States since our country began -- people coming from every quarter of the globe to achieve at the highest levels possible. That's the story of America. And being here was like winning an Olympic gold medal. It was to witness this refreshing of America, this re-energizing of America, and of course to stand next to Mel Martinez, in that respect, was a real honor," said Ashcroft.

Martinez, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, left his native Cuba when he was 15 years old "in search of freedom and a better life, and made this country a better place," Ashcroft said.

At the news conference, the Attorney General updated reporters on the status of the Bush administration's plan to reorganize the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

Under the direction of INS Commissioner James Ziglar, the INS proposed to the U.S. Congress a major reorganization plan last November that would separate the INS enforcement function from its service function.

The U.S. Congress last week provided an endorsement of that plan and the opportunity now exists, Ashcroft said, to go forward with it. He said the plan "really holds the great promise of improving the performance of this agency."

INS, Ashcroft said, "has an incredibly substantial job. There are about 550 million border crossings into and out of the United States every year. The United States of America welcomes more immigrants than all other nations of the world combined, and we have historically.

"As we secure America, and as we provide the basis for the safety and security which is important to all people in America, whether they be guests of this country or whether they be residents of this country or those who are actually citizens of this country, we need the cooperation and help of law enforcement agencies who can work together to get that job done," said Ashcroft.

At that news conference, the Attorney General announced that the Department of Justice intends to seek the death penalty in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, accused by the U.S. of six counts of conspiracy for his role in the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Four of the counts carry a maximum sentence of death, if Moussaoui is convicted.

Asked if he might be considering any change in the visa waiver program for foreign visitors under which Zacarias Moussaoui entered the country, Ashcroft said that "without getting specific about things that we are doing, virtually every aspect of the security of the United States and its welcoming of individuals to the United States is subject to review. And as has been already in process in a variety of other announcements we've made, when decisions are made in that respect, we'll be making those announcements, as time goes by."