http://www.fresnobee.com/columnists/sal ... 87642.html

Citizenship! Immigrants, make your move
By Maria Elena Salinas
07/17/07 04:14:04


Now what? That is the question that many immigrants in the United States are asking.

The failure to get a comprehensive immigration reform through Congress was seen by millions in the Latino community as a direct attack. The negativity surrounding the debate reverberated throughout the community, affecting not only undocumented immigrants but legal residents as well.

But the issue goes beyond immigration reform. There is a generalized feeling among Latinos that without political participation, their voice is simply lost amid the anti-immigrant rhetoric. If they want respect, if they want elected officials to take notice of issues that concern them, they need to have the power to put them in office or vote them out.

Ya es hora! Ciudadania. Loosely translated, that means "The time is now," the time to go full-throttle with a campaign to motivate legal permanent residents to become citizens of the United States and to help guide them through the process.

The effort is not new. For years, Latino civic organizations, activist groups and Spanish-language media outlets have been dedicated to the political empowerment of the Latino community, mostly with voter-registration drives and get-out-the-vote campaigns. But this year they are joining forces with a massive and comprehensive campaign dedicated to motivating Latino immigrants to become citizens.

To become an American citizen, an immigrant must be 18 years of age or older, must have lived in the United States five consecutive years, have no criminal record, have a good moral standing and must pass a test showing basic knowledge of the English language and American history.

Sounds simple, but it is a complicated process that requires great effort and sacrifices for many. Yet tens of thousands of immigrants have been flocking to federal buildings across the country to attempt to take the oath of citizenship. The number of naturalized citizens has increased tremendously in the past year.

For some, citizenship is a way to protect themselves from the increasingly hostile environment against Latino immigrants. For millions of people who poured their heart, soul and mind into a campaign to try to influence the Senate to approve a bill that would overhaul our immigration laws, becoming a citizen is the logical next step.

Applications for citizenship increased even more when the government announced a significant hike in fees to process immigration services. As of July 30, it will be a lot more expensive to become a citizen. The rate will increase 69% from $400 to $675.

For Latino leaders, the motivation lies in the opportunity to increase the community's political influence. There are 8 million legal permanent residents living in the U.S., 6 million of them of Hispanic descent, and most are eligible to apply for citizenship. That translates into a lot of potential new voters. Voter participation has increased steadily among Hispanics. It went from 5.9 million voters in 2000 to almost 7 million in 2004. In 2008, the goal is to increase that figure by 2 million more voters, among them new citizens.

Studies show that naturalized citizens have higher rates of voting participation than native-born Americans. They are more motivated to take advantage of their newly acquired power and are eager to exercise their right. For some, it is their first time voting. Many come from a country where they either don't have the right to vote or where they feel their vote simply doesn't count.

The sleeping giant began to awaken with the immigrant marches in the spring of 2006 in favor of a comprehensive immigration reform. The marches led to letter-writing campaigns and caravans that took the message all the way to Washington. The Senate failed to fix the broken immigration system, maintaining the status quo and leaving the country more polarized than ever.

Now what? It's time to finally wake up. Ya es hora! Ciudadania. The time is now! Citizenship.