WASHINGTON -- The Immigration and Naturalization Service would be scrapped, replaced by new agencies separately handling immigration and deportations under a bill the House overwhelmingly passed on Thursday.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, who pushed the measure through faster than the White House wanted but eventually got its blessing, called for abolishing an embattled INS he described as an "undesirable and unwanted stepchild."

"It carries out neither of its crucial missions effectively, enforcing our immigration laws or providing services to immigrants playing by the rules," said Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

The bill passed the House 405-9 and now goes to the Senate where Senators will begin work next week on their own version. INS Commissioner James Ziglar is to appear next Thursday before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on immigration.

Both the House bill and a Senate measure sponsored by the subcommittee chairman, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., would eliminate Ziglar's position.

"Sept. 11 taught us that immigration and border security issues are too important to be ignored and mishandled," Kennedy said.

Under Sensenbrenner's plan, the Justice Department would create a single agency to enforce laws and keep unqualified people from entering the United States. A second agency would smooth the way to possible citizenship for legal immigrants.

Many in Congress think abolishing the INS is needed because of a series of foul-ups.

Notice of approved visa extensions for two of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers was mailed months after the attacks.