USA all the way: First National Citizenship Day launched
Monica Rodriguez, Staff Writer
San Bernardino County Sun [1]
07/02/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT
(Same story published in San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Ontario Daily Bulletin, Pasadena Star News, and Whittier Daily news)
The line of people waiting to get into the west hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center on Saturday morning grew by scores every few minutes.
Also around that time, hundreds of people from all over the world converged at the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino.
With determination to end the gouging of the 14.2 million U.S. legal immigrants eligible for naturalization, 3 million of them in California, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and other national groups launched the first-ever National Citizenship Day on Saturday. Thirteen states took part in the aggressive citizenship effort.
In Los Angeles and San Bernardino, permanent residents of the U.S. came to start the process to citizenship by filling out N-400 forms, the federal government's naturalization application.
By 10 a.m. at the convention center, an estimated 5,000 people from across Los Angeles County were either in the process of filling out applications or waiting for assistance.
At the events center, Graciela Guzman, 20, her mother and two older sisters got in line at 7 a.m., three hours before the gate opened. Born in Mexico, Guzman said she wanted to become a U.S. citizen because it is worth it, but she also said she worried that if she didn't take care of it now, it might never happen.
"With all the political things going on about immigrants they might make it so we can't get (citizenship), so we want to get it down now," Guzman said.
The recent debate on immigration reform was what prompted Maria Guadalupe Correa of Sun Valley to turn out for the Los Angeles event.
"More than anything it's these changes in laws that are taking place and to be able to vote," she said, speaking in Spanish.
Most at the two events were Latino, but they weren't the only immigrants taking part as Koreans, Chinese and Armenians also participated.
San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris said he hoped those beginning the process of applying for citizenship would become engaged as U.S. citizens, voting and hopefully one day doing the ultimate in public service by running for office themselves.
"I'm sure this is a profound and life-changing event for many of these people," Morris said at the events center. "Deep emotional changes are probably being felt as they change to a U.S. citizen."
While many of those submitting applications Saturday will not be citizens in time for the November election, this was a way of getting people to start becoming involved in their community, said Angela Sanbrano, executive director of the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles.
All summer, additional events will be organized to help permanent residents apply for citizenship, Sanbrano said.
This spring's immigration marches drew hundreds of thousands of people to the streets of various cities around the country seeking immigration reform that includes paths to citizenship rather than focusing on border enforcement.
Correspondent Bonnie Boyd contributed to this report.