Salvadorans Rush for
U.S. Citizenship
Increasing political
restrictions against
Latin American
immigrants in the United
States have moved more
than 145 thousand
Salvadorans to request
citizenship in that
country in the last 10
years.
Specialists agree this
is an increasing
movement because of the
existing migratory limbo
in the northern nation
and the intention of
foreigners to achieve
family reunification,
assure their future and
send remittances to
their families of
origin.
The Office of
Citizenship and
Immigrations Services of
the United States
considered that there
was another reason
behind the increased
requests of
naturalization:
legislative efforts to
restrict public benefits
for non citizens,
reported the daily, La
Prensa Grafica.
Added to this is a
program that orders
replacement of the legal
resident cards (green
card), the US office
added.
During the fiscal year
of 2006 13 thousand
persons from that
Central American nation
obtained their
citizenship while during
the same period last
year the figure was
12,174, while in 2004
this figure was 1,602.
The Salvadorian daily
recalled that the Senate
is still debating a
project of migratory
reform, a delay that led
to the capture of many
Latin American illegals.
This is one of the
reasons, among others,
that 702,589 foreigners
gave up their
nationalities to become
citizens of the United
States last year after
residing legally for a
minimum of five years. |
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