Citizenship

Citizenship: Renew our democracy by clearing the path to citizenship and full political participation for our newest Americans.

For the most part, immigrants who have permanent legal status become eligible for citizenship five years later. However, long lines, high fees, and a backlogged bureaucracy makes it difficult for the 7.5 million currently eligible immigrants to cross the bridge to full participation in American democracy.

It is contrary to American values and traditions to keep any class of people in a position of subservience. There is no place in American society for permanent “second class” status. The founders of the American Republic would not accept “taxation without representation.” They understood the fundamental injustice of paying for government yet having no say in it. The fight against slavery, the movement to win voting rights for women, and the struggle to end the legal segregation of African Americans embodied a similar principle: when democracy is denied to some, it is weakened for all.

We need a policy that enables eligible immigrants who are living and working in America to claim their rightful place as full members of our community who have the power to vote for their elected representatives. To renew our commitment to citizenship, the government should do more in partnership with community groups to encourage those eligible to apply, to provide English and civics classes, and to help eligible immigrants fill out the paperwork and navigate the bureaucracy. Finally, the government should work with local communities to make each and every swearing-in ceremony a community celebration of citizenship, the cornerstone of our democracy.

____________________________________

© 2003 Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union