Acevedo’s blueprints depict settings far different from the current prisonlike complex in Miami, where lines of people snake out onto the scorching sidewalk. The new facilities will have big, comfortable waiting areas, ample light and green design elements like reflective roofing. They’ll feature indoor playgrounds for kids and Internet cafés for adults. The décor will be more welcoming—pastel colors, with an entry rotunda modeled on the U.S. Capitol and 25-foot etchings of the Statue of Liberty on glass walls. It’s all in a “spirit of courtesy and cooperation,” says Mark M. Levin, managing director for South Florida Federal Partners, which will own the buildings and lease them to the government.
The immigration agency could use an image makeover. According to a June ombudsman’s report, it continues to be troubled by “pervasive and serious problems,” including “lengthy and costly waiting periods for benefits” and “a hodgepodge of disconnected, overlapping and contradictory rules.” (A spokesman says the agency is still reviewing the report.) Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who chairs the House immigration subcommittee, says that while she supports the agency’s efforts to become more user-friendly, she’s more concerned about what she calls “huge backlogs” of green-card and naturalization applications. The agency spokesman denies there’s a “backlog,” a term whose definition can vary. Acevedo, who became a citizen two weeks ago, still remembers his headaches. He hopes the journey to America will be more pleasant for those who follow him.
