NL_082219

12 | August 22, 2019 | the new lenox patriot news
newlenoxpatriot.com
Legal immigrants given application assistance to attain full U.S. Citizenship
Lee Cruz, Freelance Reporter
When immigrants want
to attain full U.S. citizenship,
it is important that
they have a clear understanding
of the procedures
involved to make that a
reality, so that they do not
encounter lengthy delays
or incur hefty financial
costs due to missteps in
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that process.
To aid individuals aspiring
to achieve citizenship,
State Representative
Margo McDermed hosted
a free program in which
legal immigrants were offered
application assistance
at the New Lenox
Public Library on Saturday,
Aug. 17.
It was the second time
McDermed hosted this
event, after receiving very
favorable feedback about
last year’s initial rollout of
the program.
With guidance from accredited
representatives
of the Illinois Coalition
for Immigrant and Refugee
Rights and the Spanish
Community Center in
Joliet, attendees received
citizenship consultations,
gained assistance with
completing the application
for naturalization, and
learned about citizenship
classes available.
In her introductory remarks
to the participants,
McDermed stated, “Here in
the United States we’re all
children and grandchildren
of immigrants. It’s really
important to incentivize
immigrants who are here
legally and are following
the rules. We need to honor
all of you. Nevertheless, it
is really complicated, timeconsuming,
and expensive
to apply for citizenship, so
we want to make it easy for
you and provide the opportunity
to have this service
at a low cost.”
Dagmara Avelar, a program
manager with the Illinois
Coalition for Immigrant
and Refugee Rights,
emphasized to the attendees
that it was a good decision
to participate in the
program.
“If you’re deemed eligible
for citizenship, we
will follow up to get the
process going, making
State Rep. Margo McDermed (left) talks to Dagmara Avela, the program manager for the
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, about the workshop’s turnout, as
well as future potential workshops. 22nd Century Media File Photo
sure you are staying on top
of all the steps along the
way,” Avelar said. “We’re
going to be there for you
from Point A today to your
oath ceremony at the end.”
They were also advised
to be prepared to furnish
detailed information on
their spouse’s and children’s
backgrounds, in
addition to their activities
over the past five years in
regards to residency and
employment in the country,
and travel outside of
the United States, as well.
During the event, the
participants completed
forms, including a screening
tool that allowed the
accredited representatives
to identify any possible
issues that might serve as
obstacles to attaining citizenship.
That was followed by
one-on-one consultations
with the representatives
who discussed their particular
eligibility for citizenship
and possible obstacles
for attaining it, as well
as to talk about the steps
necessary and resources
available to complete the
process for becoming naturalized
citizens.
Yanzi Mendez, director
of external affairs for the
Office of the Republican
Leader, Jim Durkin, emphasized
the importance
of having accredited representatives
to guide applicants
through the citizenship
process.
“If you make one little
mistake like accidentally
placing some information
in the wrong box, the application
gets thrown out,
and so you might have to
start all over or you might
have to wait a while to reapply,”
she said. “Either
way, you’re penalized, so
it’s very important to have
people who know what
they’re doing to assist you.
That’s why this workshop
provided by representative
McDermed has great
value.”
Avelar talked about
some of the challenges that
often deter eligible legal
immigrants from navigating
through the pathway to
citizenship.
One factor is cost. It
costs $725 just to file for
citizenship regardless as
to whether the applicant
passes the test. Plus, there
is the cost of attorney fees,
which could run anywhere
from $1,500-$5,000 depending
on how complicated
the applicant’s case
is.
Citizenship classes not
only cover topics about
American civics and history,
but they also provide
instruction to help prepare
applicants for the speaking,
reading, and writing
portions of the test.
Avelar also stressed the
importance of applicants
to secure guidance from
properly accredited professionals.
“There’s this common
misconception that applying
for citizenship means
just filling out a form
and just sending it to Immigration,”
Avelar said.
“But we always stress the
fact that it’s important to
get legal consultation to
see if they are even eligible
for U.S. citizenship
before we continue on the
process.”
McDermed reaffirmed
the value of partnering
with the Illinois Coalition
for Immigrant and Refugee
Rights and the Spanish
Community Center to
sponsor the program.