U.S. citizenship applications surge

WASHINGTON — Driven by the fierce congressional debate over immigration, immigrants nationwide are applying for U.S. citizenship in record numbers or seeking to solidify their legal status to protect themselves at a time of political uncertainty.

Many fear laws could toughen, preventing them from becoming naturalized or from bringing relatives into the United States; others appear to be motivated by the chance to obtain more rights and boost their political clout through voting.

Between January and April, immigrants filed 251,385 applications, an 18 percent increase from the same period last year, immigration officials said Thursday. They also report a record surge in petitions to sponsor relatives for residency, also up 18 percent for the period.

Last month, the number of visits to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Web site soared to 6.3 million, up 12 percent from May of last year. Visitors downloaded 140,000 citizenship applications, nearly twice as many as a year before. Green-card applications downloaded also rose significantly from May 2005.

"We saw a dramatically higher upswing than we have ever seen before," said Chris Bentley, a spokesman for the citizenship agency.

The surge, immigration advocates said, reflects ambiguity about the direction of immigration legislation being debated in Congress. Although the political tussle centers on illegal immigrants, many noncitizens residing in this country legally are concerned that they and their families, here and in their homelands, could be affected.

"People get worried that they will change the rules, and the changing of the rules will impact them personally, in terms of their status," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force. "Immigration policy is complicated enough. If you're a recent immigrant, legally here, the debate here is scary."

Groups working with immigrants said they are helping more citizenship applicants. In Chicago, more than 1,000 people showed up for a citizenship workshop April 29, said Gutierrez, who helped promote the event. They were expecting 300 to 400 applicants, he said.

The number of applicants for citizenship had already been rising. The reasons include more nations permitting citizens to hold dual nationality and U.S. government cuts in social services and other benefits for noncitizens.

In the past, fear has spurred surges in citizenship applications. After a 1994 California ballot initiative that was intended to cut services to illegal immigrants, applications soared. The same happened after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

This time, the surge can be traced to mid-December, when the House passed legislation to tighten border security and force employers to verify their employees' status, while rejecting an immigrant guest-worker plan.

"It sent a jolt of fear through many immigrant communities," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, an immigrant-advocacy group based in Washington.

In May, the Senate passed legislation that offers a path to citizenship for many longtime illegal immigrants, if they pay back taxes, learn English and have committed no serious crimes. But the bill faces stiff opposition in the House. "It's a very unstable atmosphere now," Sharry said.