In Testimony before House Judiciary Subcommittee, SEIU Calls on Congress to Step In, Appropriate Funds, and Hold USCIS and FBI Accountable - SEIU Lays Out Measures to Reduce Naturalization Backlog and Help New Citizens Vote in 2008

Posted on: January 17th, 2008
Filed Under: [ Hispanic News ] [ Immigration ] [ Tomás' Picks ] [ Politics ] [ Press Releases ]
Tags: border, citizenship, fbi, reporter
Knowledge is Power!

In House Testimony, SEIU Calls on Congress to Step In, Appropriate Funds, and Hold USCIS and FBI Accountable

Washington, D.C.—“If the Bush administration truly believes America is stronger and more dynamic when new citizens are welcomed, it will make sure that USCIS processes the hundreds of thousands of citizenship applications trapped in a snarl of red tape and government bureaucracy,” said Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina, upon submitting testimony to the House Subcommittee on Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law on how to reduce the naturalization backlog that may block hundreds of thousands of citizenship applicants from voting in the 2008 Elections.

In his testimony, Medina raised concerns about mismanagement, poor planning, and failed leadership at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

“In an election where the stakes are high and we are seeing record turnout for primaries, it’s troubling to see that individuals who are deeply committed to this country and who have followed all the rules are being systemically excluded from participating in our democracy because our infrastructure cannot—or will not—meet its obligations,” continued Medina.

Medina’s testimony urged the committee to address longstanding backlog problems at the FBI, which is required to conduct name checks in addition to fingerprinting and background checks on all citizenship applicants. In particular, Medina called for the following actions:

· Eliminate FBI name checks, which merely duplicate the required FBI fingerprinting and background checks;

· Appropriate emergency funding for USCIS and FBI to meet resource demands;

· Expedite the hiring of retirees and new adjudicators to process applications; and

· Provide intensive training for internal USCIS staff to become naturalization adjudicators.

“Our national debate on immigration hinges on the fact that we need people to follow the rules. Yet ironically, people who have crossed every “t” and dotted every “i”—who have waited patiently, paid their taxes, and established deep roots in their communities—find their attempts to become citizens thwarted by the federal government’s negligence and failed leadership. We need to fix these government agencies so that our country is secure, and we need to end the backlog so that deserving immigrants can achieve the dream of U.S. citizenship and participate in our civic process,” concluded Medina.

Click here to access Eliseo Medina’s full testimony.

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Background for Reporters:

SEIU Files Lawsuit Against USCIS for Illegally Inflating Service Fees: ?

In August 2007, SEIU filed a federal lawsuit against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for raising fees beyond basic processing costs and unlawfully charging applicants for infrastructure upgrades, expensive subcontractors, and other costs unrelated to their applications.

“The services performed by USCIS offer a public benefit to the entire nation, and costs should not be levied entirely on the backs of applicants who are already paying their fair share of taxes,” said SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina. “We need to hold USCIS accountable so that it provides cutting-edge service at a fair cost.”

Click here to learn more about the lawsuit.

2007 Citizenship Applications Highest In a Decade:

From January through October 2007, approximately 1,029,951 eligible immigrants applied for U.S. citizenship, nearly doubling the total number of applications received in 2006 and surpassing the goal set forth by Ya es Hora: !Ciudadania! (Citizenship: It’s Time), a national citizenship campaign co-led by SEIU.

“This past year’s historic surge in citizenship applications should be seen as a victory for all Americans,” said SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina. “It’s this kind of patriotism exhibited by new Americans and commitment to our shared civic responsibilities that help our country to thrive.”

To learn more about the campaign and its future efforts to mobilize the Latino vote in 2008, click here.

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