Cristina Jimenez
Citizenship: Some Immigrants Wait an Average of 20 years to Vote
Martha waited 28 years to become a U.S. citizen. A native from Costa Rica, she came to the United States on a tourist visa in 1981. Since then, she worked as a housekeeper.
Thanks to one of her employers, Martha was able to gain legal permanent status 7 years ago. Like Martha, immigrants seeking to naturalize must fulfill stringent eligibility requirements. The process to become a citizen is not easy and is badly clogged. At the end of 2007, 1.1 million people were reported to be stuck in the process. The complexity and unfairness of this process is nicely broken down in this fun chart created by the National Foundation for American Policy and Reason magazine.
Martha successfully fulfilled all the requirements and finally became a U.S. citizen this year. Like Martha, a record-breaking number of immigrants applied for U.S citizenship last year, nearly 1.4 million naturalization applications were filed. And according to the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 700,000 immigrants have been sworn in this year.
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure to help Martha register to vote. An 80 year old grandmother of two, Martha will be voting for the first time on Nov. 4.
Cristina Jimenez: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 2:29 PM, Oct 08, 2008 in
Election 2008 | Immigration
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