Miss. group helps immigrants get citizenship
October 22, 2009

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Advocacy groups will begin a push this weekend on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to encourage immigrants to start the process of becoming U.S. citizens.





The Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance will spend Saturday in Biloxi educating immigrants about becoming naturalized citizens. Census figures show about 2 percent of Mississippi’s population is Hispanic, the leading immigrant population.


The Gulf Coast’s migrant worker population swelled after Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in 2005 gave way to multibillion dollar rebuilding that attracted construction workers. But the region also is home to more established immigrants who haven’t sought citizenship, said MIRA executive director Bill Chandler.


He said the citizenship process — including English and civics tests and a $675 fee — can be discouraging.


“A lot of people are conflicted about abandoning their country of origin; others because they don’t speak English,â€