In nervous times, applications for citizenship surge

WASHINGTON – Driven by the fierce congressional debate over immigration, immigrants nationwide are applying for U.S. citizenship in record numbers or seeking to solidify their legal status in a move to protect themselves at a time of political uncertainty.

Many fear that laws could toughen, preventing them from becoming naturalized or from bringing relatives into the United States; others appear to be motivated by the chance to obtain more rights and boost their political clout through voting.

Between January and April, immigrants filed 251,385 applications, an 18 percent increase from the same period last year, immigration officials said Thursday. They also report a record surge in petitions to sponsor relatives for residency, also up 18 percent for the time period.

Last month, the number of visits to the agency’s Web site soared to 6.3 million, up 12 percent from May of last year. Visitors downloaded 140,000 citizenship applications, nearly twice as many as a year before. Green card applications downloaded also rose significantly from May 2005.

“We saw a dramatically higher upswing than we have ever seen before,” said Chris Bentley, a spokesman with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

The surge, say immigration advocates, reflects widespread ambiguity over the direction of immigration legislation being debated in Congress. Although the political tussle centers on illegal immigrants, many noncitizens residing in this country legally are concerned that they and their families, here and in their homelands, could be affected.

“People get worried that they will change the rules, and the changing of the rules will impact them personally, in terms of their status,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force. “Immigration policy is complicated enough. If you’re a recent immigrant, legally here, the debate here is scary.”

In January, about 50 people attended a “citizenship workshop” at Hogar Hispano, an immigrant services program of Catholic Charities in Arlington, Va. At the workshop, volunteers helped eligible permanent residents – those who have held green cards for at least five years – fill out naturalization forms.

In March, 88 people showed up. And last month, there were 92 – the largest turnout coordinator Esmael Hussieni has seen in the nine years he has overseen the workshops. He said good weather and better marketing efforts played a role in the rise. So did fear.

“Even lately, with the green card, people don’t think it’s going to be safe,” he said.

In other parts of the country, groups working with immigrants say they are seeing similar jumps in applicants. In Chicago, more than 1,000 people showed up for a citizenship workshop April 29, said Gutierrez, who helped promote the event. They were expecting about 300 to 400 applicants, he said.

The number of applicants had been rising steadily in recent years. The reasons include more nations permitting their citizens to hold dual nationality and U.S. government cutbacks in social services and other benefits for noncitizens.

In the past, fear has spurred surges in citizenship applications. After a 1994 California ballot initiative that was intended to cut services to undocumented immigrants, applications soared. The same happened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as many immigrants wanted to show solidarity with their adopted homeland or wanted not to be targeted by a backlash.

This time, the surge can be traced back to mid-December, when the House of Representatives passed tough legislation to tighten border security and force employers to verify their employees’ status, while rejecting an immigrant guest-worker plan.

“It sent a jolt of fear through many immigrant communities,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, an immigrant advocacy group based in Washington. “It was so draconian that people eligible to naturalize said, ‘We’d better take citizenship before they take that away from us.’ “

Last month, the Senate passed legislation that offers a path to citizenship for many longtime illegal immigrants, if they pay back taxes, learn English and have committed no serious crimes. But the bill faces stiff opposition in the House.

“It’s a very unstable atmosphere now,” Sharry said.

Immigrant advocates are trying to use the fear and uncertainty to galvanize a future army of voters. By some estimates, as many as 8 million immigrants are eligible to become naturalized citizens.

Those applying for citizenship now will most likely not be able to vote in the November elections. Still, advocacy groups nationwide are joining hands to persuade more legal residents to become citizens, seeing this as the next step in a national movement to secure rights for immigrants.