Why do so many individuals forgo the process of coming to the U.S. legally?
I recently undertook the task of researching the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. I wanted to understand why, according to a study by the Department of Homeland Security, 10.8 million undocumented immigrants were in the U.S. in 2010.
What is it about the citizenship process that deters so many people?
When I began asking this question, most people said they decided to not go through the process because it was long. However, no one ever explained to me why the process was so long.
After much research, it turns out the process is lengthy and begins with immigrants applying for a Permanent Resident Card (also known as a green card). After, and if, they receive a permanent resident card, they must stay in the U.S. for five consecutive years unless they are married to a U.S. citizen or are in the armed forces.
Only after they have completed this time in the U.S. can they begin the actual naturalization process.
The entire citizenship process is one in which the applicant follows the steps of naturalization and waits to hear back from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The applicant is powerless over the amount of time that is spent processing their case, and they must clear all of the hurdles before moving onto the next step.
The USCIS does not give an estimated amount of time that it takes to complete the naturalization process, but it does say that “it would like to decrease the time it takes to an average of six months after the filing of the (initial) form,” indicating that the process is not quite as efficient as the government would like it to be.
After confirming that the naturalization process was long, I questioned why it was this way. Doesn’t our government want to welcome into its arms the tired, poor, “huddled masses”?
The answer is that it wants to welcome the right kind of “huddled masses” and the process for becoming a citizen is making sure that the immigrants who become naturalized meet the government’s standards for being worthy of citizenship.
Great pains are taken by the government in making sure that applicants are moral (according to Immigration Services, this means free of a criminal past), educated in the English language and American history and government, and are willing to take on the responsibilities that are required of an American citizen.
I can understand the hesitance many undocumented immigrants have in investing the time and money into becoming a U.S. citizen, but I also deeply respect immigrants who make it through the process.
Born citizens would do well to consider the standards immigrants must meet to become citizens. Many Americans are failing at the standards that for others are the very basis for their citizenship.
If new citizens are expected to live up to a certain standard, why should we expect anything less for ourselves?
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Ahmed316 3 months, 1 week ago
One of the major factors leading to undocumented aliens entering the United States, which this article fails to address, is the fact the most undocumented aliens in the United States either entered the United States without inspection or overstayed their visa. They do this because they are not entitled/have no basis to gain U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residence. The U.S.immigration sytem is based on family re-unification, with additonal (small) numbers of green cards granted to skilled professionals, qualified workers, etc. If you don't ft into one of these categories, you don't have a right to reside here.
So what do people do? They overstay their temporary tourist visa or cross the border illegally, hanging around for years looking for away to adjust status, say, through marriage to an American or claiming asylum. The theory behind all these cases is, defacto, "we're here, deal with us."
Take the visa free agreement between Poland and Mexico in the late 90s. As soon as it went into effect you can guess what happened: Polish nationals, who had no other claim or ability under U.S. law to get U.S. residency, began to illegally cross the U.S./ Mexican border to try and reside in the U.S. - illegally crossing the border was their only option to get to the United States.
I used to work with refugees: refugees recieve legal residency status in the U,.S. the day they arrive here. My wife is an immigrant: from the day we applied for her immigrant visa until the day she entered the United States took 8 months. At the port of entry, she was given permanent residency status and two weeks later we recieved her green card at our new home by mail, without taking any action. Three years later, she became a U.S. citizen, in the time frame prescribed by law. The system works perfectly for those who are entitled to U.S. residency and follow the law .
If you feel everyone in the world has a right to U.S. citizenship, tell Congress to change the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The folks interviewed in the aricle, I am sure, simply entered the United States illegally or overstayed their visas, and now call on the U.S. Government (or more often the media) to help them. They are lucky they have options at all once they enter the country. The U.S. immigration system works here - the system should discourage this type of behavior. I challenge the author to go back to the folks she interviewed and find out how they came to be in the United States.
This article gives the misleading impression that there are millions of undocumented aliens in the United States because of beauracracy. Simply not true. The standard we should be asking people to live up to? Observe our laws.
"Not Everyone Has the Luxury of Citizenship." Nor is is everyone entitled to citizenship. It was, after all, the American people who wrote these laws.
Oroz3339 3 months, 1 week ago
"If you don't ft into one of these categories, you don't have a right to reside here." So under this assumption, you think unemployed High school dropouts without families should gtfo?
Ahmed316 3 months, 1 week ago
This is not an assumption. I refer you to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, and who is eligible to immigrate/reside in the United States.