 djoles@startribune.com Hundreds of immigrants who have had an easy bus ride to the US Customs and Immigration Services office to get green cards and visas will soon have to figure out how to get to the new federal immigration office that accidentally moved way off](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/HJ6LGXS3MOVJADXKMJC6DDMKMY.jpg?&w=1080)
Bowing to pressure, the federal government is reversing a plan to move a vital immigration office to the outskirts of Bloomington, 3 miles from the closest bus stop.
In a rare case where it admitted making a mistake, the General Services Administration will move other government services to the new building and keep its U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office at its current location near the Mall of America and mass transit.
The plan to move the immigration office became the subject of intense criticism from local elected officials and immigration advocates who were concerned that the new location would make it difficult for many immigrants to obtain services they need for such things as work visas and citizenship papers.
"This is what everyone wanted," said U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who coordinated several meetings with federal authorities and immigration advocates. "The people we are talking about are not hiding from the law. They are working with our immigration services and doing exactly what they are supposed to do, and they are supposed to somehow get there when they don't have a car. It makes no sense at all."
After the initial decision was announced, Klobuchar peppered the heads of various agencies, including, most recently, the new head of Homeland Security. Several members of the state's congressional delegation urged the feds to put the brakes on the plan. Throughout the process, the GSA appeared unlikely to reverse its course. Its latest suggestion had been to start a shuttle service from the closest bus stop.
Klobuchar, U.S. Sen. Al Franken and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, all D-Minn., introduced legislation that would require the GSA to take transit into account when searching for new venues.
Despite the decision, Ellison said he still has concerns about how the process worked out with the GSA and its regional office, including a lack of transparency in the original bidding process. Phone calls and meetings with the GSA were canceled without explanation, he said. "I just hope this is not some sort of systemic problem that needs to be addressed," Ellison said.
Mistake admitted
In violation of its own policies that require easy access to public transportation, the GSA set the site of the new building 3 miles from the closest bus stop. The GSA has admitted it misread a bus schedule in reviewing applications. What it thought was a bus route for the new location was really a commuter line without regular stops.
