Thread: U.S. Citizenship applications soar

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... -news-sfla
U.S. Citizenship applications soar in South Florida and throughout the country




By Ruth Morris
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

June 24, 2007



They are arriving faster than ever, in fat envelopes, some put off for decades, others recent decisions dispatched with urgency.

Applications for U.S. citizenship are hitting the desks of government workers at a startling new rate, a surge that reflects upcoming fee hikes and growing uncertainty over how Congress may rewrite immigration laws in the days and weeks to come.

According to U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, immigrants filed 46,884 citizenship petitions in Florida during the first four months of 2007, a 75 percent increase from the same period last year. Meanwhile, citizenship applications nationwide rose 61 percent during the first four months of this year, compared with the same period in 2006.

Immigrant advocates say one of the main factors behind the increase is a new fee table the government announced in February. When it takes effect at the end of July, eligible green-card holders will have to pay $595 to have their citizenship applications processed, up from $330 today.

"That influenced me very, very, very much," said Ana Zulema, 54, of Pembroke Pines, who was born in the Dominican Republic. Zulema said she has been a permanent resident, or green-card holder, for 15 years. But she hesitated to apply for citizenship, fearful she would fail the English proficiency portion of the test. The new fee scale made her decide to apply.

"When I learned the costs were going up, that got me going," she said.

Others said they wanted to lock in their citizenship in case the immigration overhaul being considered by lawmakers strips noncitizens of benefits. A bill moving through the Senate would grant legal status to most of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States while tightening worker verification and adding border agents. It also would introduce a merit-based system for deciding who can obtain U.S. visas that could radically reshape the profile of new arrivals.

"I feel safer," said Sheena Johnson, 22, at a massive naturalization ceremony in Miami Beach last week, clutching her citizenship certificate. Born in Jamaica, Johnson said she had lived in the United States for 13 years but only decided to become a U.S. citizen as the immigration debate heated up. The spotlight put pressure on government agents to arrest and deport more visa violators, including some green-card holders deemed deportable for committing relatively minor crimes.

"If you don't have citizenship and something happens, they can ship you back home," said Johnson, who lives in Miami.

With her citizenship documents in hand, she said, "You don't have to worry about anything."

Policy analysts pointed to other possible factors behind the rush. They said seeing immigration at the top of the nightly news roundup, and watching last year's huge immigration marches, had motivated many immigrants to seek citizenship to make their voices heard. Legal permanent residents can work and own property in the United States, but only citizens can vote. Meanwhile, grassroots naturalization drives have worked to push immigrants off the fence and onto voter rolls.

Although swearing-in ceremonies across the country feature warm, prerecorded welcomes by President Bush, some political observers say many new citizens — and new voters — in the audience are disgruntled over how the president's Republican Party is handling the immigration debate.

Just outside the Miami Beach Convention Center where Johnson became a citizen, volunteers with clipboards melted into the crowd, urging new citizens to register to vote just minutes after they took their oath of allegiance. Among them, Joe Garcia, director of the New Democratic Network's Hispanic Strategy Center, said a rise in xenophobic rhetoric around the immigration debate also was boosting citizenship applications.

He said that as the Senate legalization plan lurches forward, the tone of some conservatives seems to have become hostile to all immigrants. In one episode, Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado referred to Miami as a "Third World country" and an example of what to avoid while mapping future policy.

"Suddenly they are 'the other' within American society. There is an issue of self-preservation that kicks in," said Garcia, referring to legal immigrants eligible for citizenship. "Suddenly they want to get this thing off the board."

Ana Santiago, Miami spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the government agency is meeting its goal of processing most applications within six months, despite the rising tide of paperwork.

"It's true that our workload has increased," she said.

"We are implementing a new fee schedule ... that will provide us the resources we need to ensure that those who seek our services receive the prompt and courteous assistance they deserve."

Staff Writer Elizabeth Baier contributed to this report. Ruth Morris can be reached at rmorris@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5012.


Copyright © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... -news-sfla

They need to feed those applications into a machine that automatically stamps REJECTED on it.

They are making the immigration attorneys fat before they get deported.

Really, we are over quota for most of them, some can't pass the health screne, can't learn English, can't pass the citizenship requirement... If they have been here at all illegally then they need to GO Bye Bye!

Dixie

They need to feed those applications into a machine that automatically stamps REJECTED on it.

agreed, Dixie.

Originally Posted by ShockedinCalifornia

They need to feed those applications into a machine that automatically stamps REJECTED on it.

agreed, Dixie.

Nice and simple WTG Dixie