Becoming a citizen

Becoming a citizen is the culmination of a journey for immigrants who, after the efforts and patience, want to become an integral part of the American system. It is a privilege that allows people to participate in the political decisions that affect their lives and those of their families.

There are almost 8 million legal permanent residents in the United States who could apply for citizenship, after fulfilling the five-year residency requirement. And Los Angeles has the highest number of people in this situation.

We think citizenship is a natural goal for an immigrant who creates a new life in this land. Therefore, we support the “New Americans Initiative” approved by the U.S. Conference of Mayors during its meeting a couple of weeks ago in Orlando, Florida.

This initiative promotes the cooperation of cities-as is the case with Los Angeles-with local immigrant advocacy organizations and those that promote citizenship. The cooperation is limited to resources that do not mean spending additional money.

Something is better than nothing. However, the largest hurdle is not a lack of enthusiasm among the potential citizens, but being able to pay the $680 application fee. This obstacle is increasingly hard to overcome given our current economic situation.

Therefore, it is time for Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to receive a budget from the general fund-like any other federal agency-instead of having to be self-sufficient. This requirement forces the agency to charge very high fees in order to cover its expenses.

One of the complaints about immigrants is their supposed lack of interest in becoming part of American society. The reality is exactly the opposite. There is great interest in citizenship, but the process will continue to be expensive until USCIS receives the budgetary priority it deserves.