Southern California groups push green card holders to become citizens

Lawful permanent residents who for years thought they were safe in the United States are now seeking citizenship in the wake of President Donald Trump’s immigration actions.“There’s so much speculation about possible immigration changes...

Southern California groups push green card holders to become citizens

Lawful permanent residents who for years thought they were safe in the United States are now seeking citizenship in the wake of President Donald Trump’s immigration actions.

“There’s so much speculation about possible immigration changes that could harm even us, as legal permanent residents,” said Austreberta Ayon, 66, who received a green card in 1975 after being sponsored by her then-husband.

Ayon often travels to Tijuana to visit her sister or see a dentist. It’s something that she, as a permanent resident, has felt safe doing for years.

But now, she’s taking extra precautions. She’s aiming to become a U.S. citizen after a number of green card holders were affected by Trump’s travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Areej Ali, a green card holder, was one of those affected. The Fontana woman was coming home from the Sudan when she was detained for 12 hours in Saudi Arabia while attempting to board a connecting flight.

The travel ban, though, is on hold after a federal appeals court on Thursday declined to reinstate it, upholding a Seattle judge’s Feb. 3 ruling.

What immigrants are realizing is that a green card is no longer enough, especially under the new White House administration, said Luz Gallegos with TODEC Legal Center, an pro-immigrant organization serving the Inland area.

Trump has also moved to cut federal grants for “sanctuary cities” protecting immigrants. In prioritizing who gets to be deported, Trump is broadening the definition of ‘criminal’ immigrants. For example, any unauthorized immigrant who has “committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense,” can be deported. This can include anyone who law enforcement believes has violated a law.

All this has worried many green card holders.

“They want to apply for citizenship as soon as possible ... just to make sure they secure their stay in the United States,” Gallegos said. “We’re used to seeing the fear from the undocumented community, but now we also see it with legal permanent residents.”

Lawful permanent residents — more commonly referred to as green card holders — can live, work, study and own property in the United States. Having this status means they were lawfully admitted for permanent residency in this country. They can apply for U.S. citizenship if their green card has been valid for five years, or after three years if they’re married to an American citizen.

Immigrants earn green cards through four main avenues: family sponsorship, a job offer from a U.S. employer, humanitarian reasons and annual green card lotteries, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C.

In 2015, more than one million people received green cards, according to the most recent figures from the Department of Homeland Security’s Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.

An analysis by the Migration Policy Institute showed that from 2003 to 2013, between 60 percent and 70 percent of immigrants obtained green cards through family sponsorship.

And immigrant rights organizers estimate that more than 2.2 million in California qualify for citizenship. Across the nation, about 8.8 million are eligible.

That’s why the Los Angeles-based Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights on Jan. 31 announced it was offering 100 days of free naturalization help for legal residents.

The group is providing this service three days a week, and about 30 show up per day. That’s unprecedented, given that in a normal week, only a couple of people go in for these kind of services, said Jose-Mario Cabrera, the coalition’s spokesman.

“This underscores the uncertainty of living as an immigrant, documented or not in the Trump administration,” Cabrera said. “Lawful permanent residents know, or they should know, that citizenship is the one immigration status that no one can take away.”

Not a lifetime pass

Cabrera said there’s a misconception that the word ‘permanent’ directly translates into a lifelong stay for green card holders.

That’s not the case.

Green card holders can be deported and typically because of criminal offenses, said immigration attorney Hadley Bajramovic. A controlled substance conviction, for example, can cause a green card holder to be deported, she said.

Lawful permanent residents who are away from the U.S. for a certain amount of time are also at risk, Bajramovic said. When attempting to re-enter the U.S., they may go through an added layer of inspection or may even undergo removal proceedings, she said.

“There’s a presumption of abandonment (of their green card),” Bajramovic said.

Because of this, Gallegos, from TODEC Legal Center, said they stress citizenship year-round.

But obstacles remain.

The naturalization process is not cheap. Applicants must pay a $640 citizenship application fee and $85 for a background check.

Language can be another barrier. Immigrants must take a civics test in English; however, people who are 50 or older and who have lived as lawful permanent residents for 20 years are exempt from the English language component.

Lastly, Gallegos said there are still many immigrants, particularly Mexican nationals, who as she put it, “Don’t want to leave ‘la patria’ (the homeland).”

They feel like they are turning their backs on their country, she said. Gallegos stresses the importance of their dual citizenship.

“Of course we love our country, but we also migrated from our country to be here for a better life,” Gallegos said. “The reality is that we’re living now as immigrants, either legally, documented, or as U.S. citizens and we have to accommodate ourselves here, especially with our new administration.”

Ayon, a native of the Mexican state of Jalisco, passed her civics test on Tuesday. She was told to wait for a written decision on whether her citizenship application was approved.

In the U.S., she’s made a living working as a cashier for grocery stores. She has a U.S. citizen son who lives in San Diego. And she’s planning on taking classes to perfect her English. She lives with her partner who is a Vietnam war veteran.

“If they don’t grant me citizenship, ‘Oh well,’ ” she said. “I’m already here.”

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