New citizenship rules tarnish the golden door
"Be Our Guest" Column from the NY Daily News
For many immigrants, no day in their lives is more important than when they become U.S. citizens. I am the son of immigrants from China: a mother who was pregnant with me when she took the oath, and a father who became a U.S. citizen after many years of struggle with immigration authorities. Today, many immigrants share those struggles. Yet our federal government believes that immigrants don't value citizenship enough and don't work hard enough or pay enough to become citizens.
Last week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services unveiled a proposed set of test questions that immigrants must answer to become citizens. In doing so, CIS officials repeatedly claimed that the existing questions are not "meaningful," rely too much on "trivia" and encourage rote memorization instead of real learning about American history and democracy.
Such glib rhetoric insults immigrants and the truth. Immigrants who are committed to becoming citizens devote enormous amounts of time and effort to studying the citizenship test. They flock to citizenship classes at community colleges, houses of worship and community centers. They learn who elects the President (the Electoral College), who nominates justices of the Supreme Court (the President) and the names of all 13 original colonies - questions that may boggle many native-born U.S. citizens.
This learning is not just rote. In studying for the test, immigrants need to learn not just the questions, but also their broader context and meaning: the key moments of U.S. history, the structure of U.S. government, the rights and duties of citizens and how these connect to their lives.
This learning process is deeply meaningful to immigrants.
Strangely enough, the proposed list includes such seemingly trivial questions as "Who was President during World War I?" and "Where is the Grand Canyon?"
Should knowing these things really be required to become a U.S. citizen?
According to the CIS, immigrants not only don't study enough; they also don't pay enough, and don't deal with enough paperwork. The agency is expected to introduce a huge hike in the citizenship application fee, from $400 to somewhere between $600 and $1,000. When asked about this steep increase, CIS Director Emilio Gonzalez sniffed, "American citizenship is priceless. I think people will pay."
Even worse, the CIS has been developing an electronic filing system for all immigration applications that would mean still more fees and a 19-page preregistration form that immigrants would need to complete before they can even apply. Incidentally, a federal watchdog agency reported last week that the CIS has lost 110,000 immigration files. Rather than patronizing would-be citizens, perhaps Gonzalez should keep his own house in order.
Immigrants already face enough hurdles on their way toward citizenship, including the test, the cost, and, too often, lack of accurate information about the process. Out of the 9.4 million long-term legal immigrants across the country eligible to apply for citizenship today, only 650,000 apply each year.
In New York and New Jersey, 1.8 million immigrants are eligible, but on average only 110,000 become citizens each year. If we truly believe in democracy and bringing immigrants into American society, we should want many more immigrants to become citizens.
Instead of building a wall to keep would-be citizens out, the federal government should be reaching out to these immigrants and promoting citizenship.
The CIS should lend a hand to immigrants who, like my parents, have committed to making the United States their home. Unfortunately, CIS is using that hand to wave immigrants away.
Tsao is the policy director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, an advocacy organization based in Chicago.
Originally published on December 6, 2006
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/477397p-401647c.html
"Be Our Guest" Column from the NY Daily News
For many immigrants, no day in their lives is more important than when they become U.S. citizens. I am the son of immigrants from China: a mother who was pregnant with me when she took the oath, and a father who became a U.S. citizen after many years of struggle with immigration authorities. Today, many immigrants share those struggles. Yet our federal government believes that immigrants don't value citizenship enough and don't work hard enough or pay enough to become citizens.
Last week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services unveiled a proposed set of test questions that immigrants must answer to become citizens. In doing so, CIS officials repeatedly claimed that the existing questions are not "meaningful," rely too much on "trivia" and encourage rote memorization instead of real learning about American history and democracy.
Such glib rhetoric insults immigrants and the truth. Immigrants who are committed to becoming citizens devote enormous amounts of time and effort to studying the citizenship test. They flock to citizenship classes at community colleges, houses of worship and community centers. They learn who elects the President (the Electoral College), who nominates justices of the Supreme Court (the President) and the names of all 13 original colonies - questions that may boggle many native-born U.S. citizens.
This learning is not just rote. In studying for the test, immigrants need to learn not just the questions, but also their broader context and meaning: the key moments of U.S. history, the structure of U.S. government, the rights and duties of citizens and how these connect to their lives.
This learning process is deeply meaningful to immigrants.
Strangely enough, the proposed list includes such seemingly trivial questions as "Who was President during World War I?" and "Where is the Grand Canyon?"
Should knowing these things really be required to become a U.S. citizen?
According to the CIS, immigrants not only don't study enough; they also don't pay enough, and don't deal with enough paperwork. The agency is expected to introduce a huge hike in the citizenship application fee, from $400 to somewhere between $600 and $1,000. When asked about this steep increase, CIS Director Emilio Gonzalez sniffed, "American citizenship is priceless. I think people will pay."
Even worse, the CIS has been developing an electronic filing system for all immigration applications that would mean still more fees and a 19-page preregistration form that immigrants would need to complete before they can even apply. Incidentally, a federal watchdog agency reported last week that the CIS has lost 110,000 immigration files. Rather than patronizing would-be citizens, perhaps Gonzalez should keep his own house in order.
Immigrants already face enough hurdles on their way toward citizenship, including the test, the cost, and, too often, lack of accurate information about the process. Out of the 9.4 million long-term legal immigrants across the country eligible to apply for citizenship today, only 650,000 apply each year.
In New York and New Jersey, 1.8 million immigrants are eligible, but on average only 110,000 become citizens each year. If we truly believe in democracy and bringing immigrants into American society, we should want many more immigrants to become citizens.
Instead of building a wall to keep would-be citizens out, the federal government should be reaching out to these immigrants and promoting citizenship.
The CIS should lend a hand to immigrants who, like my parents, have committed to making the United States their home. Unfortunately, CIS is using that hand to wave immigrants away.
Tsao is the policy director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, an advocacy organization based in Chicago.
Originally published on December 6, 2006
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/477397p-401647c.html