Public Employee Press

Citizenship:
DC 37 helps members achieve their dream

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

The immigration law reform enacted under President Bill Clinton in 1996 sparked a dramatic increase in applications for U.S. citizenship. The DC 37 Executive Board responded swiftly by creating the Citizenship Committee to help members achieve their dream of becoming American citizens. In the next year, lawyers and staff from DC 37 were busy providing free legal assistance to more than 2,000 members who filed for citizenship.

Since Local 374 President Cuthbert Dickenson became committee chair, he has pursued the ambitious goal of getting as many members as possible on the track to becoming citizens. The committee initiated an always well attended annual forum at the union with experts on immigration issues from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, the Civic Participation Project and MELS, the union's Muncipal Employees Legal Services, to help members navigate the often bumpy path to citizenship.

"When it comes to applying for citizenship, a lot of members are simply misinformed about the procedures and their rights," said Dickenson. "With these forums we can provide them with the correct information and get them started on their way."

"We want to engage the community and help people become naturalized citizens," said Homeland Security Field Officer Charles Aklaski at the committee's forum last year. This year's forum will be on April 26.

The key to power

"One of the most important reasons members should become citizens is that citizens have the right to vote," said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, "and voting is the key to power in a democratic country. This is vital for DC 37 members as public service employees."

Dickenson personally encourages members to come to the union for help. One who responded to his prodding is Local 420 member Carlton Cowie, a Dietary Aide at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx. Originally from Trinidad, Cowie arrived in New York City in 1972. With help from the union, he became a citizen on July 1, 2011.

"I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders," said Cowie, who registered to vote that same day. Now he actively encourages his co-workers at the hospital to do the same. "I tell them that the union is there to support them. It's a great service that they should be taking advantage of," he said.

Member wins the lottery

With the current hostile environment toward immigrants, Cowie had been concerned that if he left the United States he would not be allowed back. "Now I don't have to worry about that," he said. During the Christmas holidays he returned to Trinidad for the first time in four decades.

Back in his native Togo in West Africa, Lassey Mensah had never participated in any kind of a lottery until 2001 when he heard about the Diversity Visa Lottery. The lottery was enacted by U.S. Congress in 1988 to increase the diversity of the pool of applicants who apply for visas. The lucky winners would get permanent visas to come to the United States. The odds against winning were steep, with 6 million participants worldwide vying for only 55,000 visas. But a couple of weeks later, Mensah received an unexpected visitor with good news from the U.S. embassy. He had hit the jackpot and was on his way to the United States.

"I still can't believe it," says the Local 420 member, who settled in the Bronx in 2002 with his wife and two children. "I have family in France, but I always wanted to come to the United States."

Mensah eventually landed a job at Coler-Goldwater Hospital, where a coworker told him that the union could help him with the next step. "They took care of everything so fast," he said of his first consultation with MELS. "Within 90 days I was a citizen."

Jorge Julio Jara came to New York City in 1983 from his native Peru looking for better employment opportunities to support his family. Like many immigrants over the centuries, he ventured to the United States by himself and sent for his wife and three children after he got settled. "It was a difficult period," admits the Local 372 member who has worked as a School Lunch Helper at PS 13 in Queens for 17 years. "Thankfully everything turned out great."

Encouraged by his children and an article in the Public Employee Press, Jara started thinking seriously about becoming a citizen last year. He was reluctant to apply because of the language barrier, but once he contacted MELS he learned that being more than 50 years old and having a green card for more than 20 years made him eligible to take the exam in Spanish.

"I felt so happy when the lawyer, Joan Foy, told me that," said Jara. He was even happier when he passed the test with flying colors and on Dec. 20 became an American citizen. Come November, Jara will be exercising his right to vote for the first time.

"Now that I'm citizen I feel a sense of relief," said Jara. "I'm lucky too because I had the union's help. If you don't have the right information you can waste a lot of time and money."

Fees can increase

Waiting too long to apply can be a costly mistake, since the application fee is subject to change. "My concern is that it will increase again and not by just a couple of dollars," said Foy, a MELS staff attorney. In 1997 the application fee was only $95. The one-time application fee is currently $680, including fingerprints. The filing fee for a green card is $930 plus an additional $80 for fingerprints. Green cards must be renewed every 10 years and cost $450.

"It's cheaper to apply for citizenship than to renew your green card," said Emergency Medical Technician Herman Schwartz, who became a citizen Dec. 29. "I wanted to be able to do things like vote," said the Local 2507 member, who came here from Canada with his parents as a teenager.

To become a citizen, a legal permanent resident must have lived in the United States more or less continuously for five years, or for three years as the spouse of a citizen. The applicant must also pass English and civics tests, demonstrate good moral character and allegiance to the Constitution. Citizenship applicants have to undergo an extensive background check by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Last year, the DC 37 Citizenship Committee and MELS helped 67 members realize their dreams of becoming American citizens, and this year they're ready to help a lot more.