Citizenship Promotion Act of 2007 Will Help Newcomers Surmount Obstacles to U.S. Citizenship

Legislation will provide opportunity to avoid fee hike and make other

improvements in naturalization process

    WASHINGTON, March 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association
 of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund issued
 the following statement in response to the introduction today of the
 Citizenship Promotion Act of 2007 by U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and
 U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL):
     "The NALEO Educational Fund strongly supports the Citizenship Promotion
 Act of 2007 ("CPA"), introduced today by U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)
 and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), because it would remove many of the
 obstacles in the path of legal permanent residents who are eager to become
 full Americans. This legislation would enhance our national security by
 providing for greater accountability in the background checks that are
 conducted on applicants for U.S. citizenship. The CPA also would establish
 a national program to promote U.S. citizenship and help community
 organizations provide a wide range of naturalization education, outreach
 and assistance services to our nation's newcomers.
     The CPA addresses one of the most significant barriers that could place
 the dream of U.S. citizenship beyond the reach of thousands of legal
 permanent residents -- the proposal of the United States Citizenship and
 Immigration Services (USCIS) to raise the fees for starting the
 naturalization process from $400 to $675. The CPA would freeze those fees
 at their current level, and explicitly authorize Congress to appropriate
 funds to supplement those fees to help cover the type of costs that the
 USCIS claims are largely responsible for the fee hikes, such as
 infrastructure investments, capital improvements, and business system
 upgrades. The USCIS must then re-evaluate its need for the proposed
 increases in light of the funds available from Congress, and the agency may
 be able to reduce the amount of the hike, or avoid it altogether.
     The CPA would also make the test for U.S. citizenship fairer by
 providing for uniform administration of the exam throughout the nation. The
 legislation would require the USCIS, when administering the test, to take
 into account the special circumstances of applicants who face particular
 challenges because of their age, education, or other similar
 characteristics. This provision would put into law the regulatory
 requirement of "due consideration" for such applicants that currently
 applies to the agency.
     In addition, the CPA would strengthen our national security by
 providing for greater accountability in the system of conducting background
 checks on naturalization applicants. Many naturalization applicants have
 experienced lengthy waiting times during their application processing
 because these checks are not completed in a timely manner. The bill
 generally would require the FBI to complete those background checks within
 90 days, and impose documentation and Congressional reporting requirements
 on the FBI if background check delays for specific applicants extend beyond
 that period. The CPA also would mandate a comprehensive Government
 Accountability Office (GAO) study on the FBI's background checks
 procedures.
     Finally, the CPA would create a national New Americans Initiative
 ("NAI") to provide $80 million for U.S. citizenship promotion, education
 and assistance by the USCIS and non-profit community organizations. Through
 the NAI, the USCIS must develop outreach materials to encourage legal
 permanent residents to apply for naturalization, and must disseminate those
 materials through public service announcements and other media. The NAI
 also establishes a program that makes resources available for community
 organizations with experience and expertise in working with newcomers to
 provide a broad range of U.S. citizenship services. These services include
 English and civics classes, legal services, outreach and education
 activities, and application assistance.
     We commend the leadership of U.S. Senator Obama and U.S. Rep. Gutierrez
 for their efforts on behalf of the CPA. We also appreciate the support and
 assistance provided by the other original co-sponsors of the bill: U.S.
 Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Ken Salazar (D-CO), and Jeff Bingaman
 (D-NM); and U.S. Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Mike
 Honda (D- CA), Ed Pastor (D-AZ), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), and Hilda Solis
 (D-CA).
     We now urge the Congress and the President to work together to ensure
 the swift enactment of the CPA. In addition, the USCIS must work with
 Congress so that there is a timely appropriation of the funding authorized
 by the CPA that will enable the agency to avoid imposing its proposed
 application fee hikes. The CPA allows the agency to pursue funding so that
 it can make major investments to enhance the delivery of its services
 without having to pass the entire cost on to hardworking, taxpaying
 newcomers. Under the provisions of the CPA, our system for financing
 immigration services could become a partnership where applicants pay a
 reasonable fee for quality service, but Congress must appropriate
 sufficient monies to make that partnership a reality.
     According to data published by the Office of Immigration Statistics,
 there are about 8 million legal permanent residents in our nation who are
 eligible to naturalize and about half of these are Latino. Immigrants who
 apply for naturalization are eager to demonstrate their commitment to this
 country by becoming full participants in our nation's civic life. By
 removing obstacles in the path to U.S. citizenship, the CPA will help
 newcomers and our nation realize the dream of a strong and vibrant
 democracy.
     About the NALEO Educational Fund
     The NALEO Educational Fund is the leading organization that facilitates
 full Latino participation in the American political process, from
 citizenship to public service. The NALEO Educational Fund is a non-profit,
 non-partisan organization whose constituency includes the more than 6,000
 Latino elected and appointed officials nationwide.
 
 

SOURCE NALEO Educational Fund