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10-02-2008, 10:28 PM #1
Emergency naturalization ceremony set for Saturday
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Emergency naturalization ceremony set for Saturday
By SUSAN CARROLL Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 2, 2008, 5:03PM
Immigration officials announced plans to hold an emergency naturalization ceremony for more than 1,240 immigrants whose citizenship oaths were postponed because of Hurricane Ike, jeopardizing their chance to vote in the November election.
The ceremony, originally scheduled for Sept. 24, now will be held 9 a.m. Saturday at Rice Stadium, on the university campus, said Maria Elena Garcia-Upson, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigrants who are being sworn in as citizens are encouraged to arrive by 7 a.m. to fill out paperwork.
The timing will allow the immigrants to register to vote before Monday's deadline, which is dictated by state law.
USCIS officials previously had said Ike-related damage to area of their office in Houston on Northpoint Drive made it impossible for them to access the paperwork necessary to reschedule the ceremony until Oct. 29 — well after the voter registration deadline. Garcia-Upson said Thursday that the agency was able to enter that portion of the building and get the paperwork it needed to go ahead with the naturalizations, and is now trying to contact all of the scheduled applicants.
The change came amid pressure from the administrative judge for U.S. District Court in Houston, who offered to hold an emergency ceremony. Immigrant advocates and attorneys appealed to USCIS to find a last-minute solution. Congressman Gene Green, D-Houston, also called USCIS to push for an emergency ceremony.
The news of the rescheduling brought joy and relief for some of those originally scheduled to be naturalized on Sept. 24, some 11 days after Ike hit the city.
"That's great news!" said Carlos Gutierrez, a 37-year-old mortgage broker from San Pedo Sula, Honduras, who had plans to watch Thursday's vice presidential debate, whether he got to vote in November or not. "I wouldn't miss it," he said.
Those attending Saturday's ceremony at Rice are encouraged to park in the lot at the intersection of Greenbriar Street and Rice Boulevard, using entrances 13A and 13B.
susan.carroll@chron.com
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10-02-2008, 10:33 PM #2
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