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

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.

###

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.

• The Utah Forensics Team is hosting a debate Thursday centered around the issue of immigration reform in Utah. – The event, titled “Broken Borders: Debating the State of Immigration,” will feature Tony Yapias, the former director of the Utah State Office of Hispanic Affairs; Utah Reps. Mike Noel and Chris Herrod; and Dee Rowland, a government liaison for the Utah Catholic Diocese
• From a group calling themselves Electronic Civil Disobedience comes the Transborder Immigrant Tool, a simple mobile application intended to aid and abet border-crossers from Mexico to the United States by mapping the safest routes to take. – This GPS app is built to work on the cheapest cell phones available.
• The Center for American Progress applauds Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s push to move forward with the congressional debate.
• Statement on Sec. Napolitano’s First Speech on Immigration Reform
• Guest Voz: NJ Mayor says it makes sense to grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants – Michael Wildes mayor of Englewood, New Jersey.
• AILA WELCOMES SEN. MENENDEZ (D-NJ) INTRODUCTION OF THE MILITARY FAMILIES ACT
• New bill recognizes families’ military sacrifices not tied to citizenship status
• Business groups in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez said Wednesday they are calling for United Nations peacekeepers to quell the drug-related violence that has given their city one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
• PMDG Launches Regional Mexico Marketing Initiative
• Two San Antonio sisters, just back from Iraq, become naturalized citizens – 23-year-old Blanca Estella, right, and 22-year-old Maria Isabel
• Mexico, U.S. Blame Each Other After Border Crackdown Fails
• U.S. officials wrong in celebrating fall of the Berlin Wall as work continues on our own border wall
• Yasmin Vizcaino, Miss Hispanic Oklahoma State University 2009, and the Stillwater Public Library are joining to provide information and resources to permanent Hispanic residents who want to become United States citizens.
• Native American corporations, particularly an array of Alaska Native Corporations, have become major defense and homeland security contractors – responsible for a wide range of national security operations, including electronic surveillance on the border, running immigrant detention centers, and supplying security and other services in U.S. overseas wars and energy exploitation.
• Alexandra Limón is heading to Fresno to become nightside general assignment reporter for KGPE-47, the CBS affiliate. – leaves Telemundo in Tucson
• Native Americans Profit from Abusive Immigrant Detention and Billions of Dollars in National Security Contracts
• A soldier every 3 feet on the US/Mexico border = 6,930,880 soldiers – Immigration Anecdotes
• A news reporter who wrote about violent drug crimes has been strangled in the northern Mexican state of Durango – El Tiempo de Durango journalist Jose Bladimir Antuna
• FBI investigating Joe Arpaio for using deputies to intimidate critics
• More than 200 bodies recovered at Arizona/Sonora border