The Path Towards Citizenship
Immigrants, both legal and illegal, all come to the United States in hopes of a better life for themselves and their family. But the struggles that immigrants face do not stop when they finally settle down in America. The road to becoming a citizen, especially for illegal immigrants, can be an arduous and difficult task because of tedious immigration policy that has created roadblocks which impede immigrants from gaining citizenship. In today’s political climate, immigration policy has become one of the hottest topics of debate, fueled by anti-immigration rhetoric, which has sparked tensions throughout all of America.
Current Immigration Policy and the Path to Citizenship
The path to becoming an American citizen once a person and/or their family come to the United States is far from simple. There are certain requirements that immigrants must fulfill before they can even file for citizenship, including obtaining a green card and living in the US for at least five years (3 if your spouse in a citizen). Assuming that an immigrant is able to file for citizenship, they must then go through a rigorous process, which includes tests of their ability to read, write, and speak English, as well as a U.S. naturalization test and, most importantly, an interview which ultimately determines whether or not the person(s) is of a good moral character or not. Even after an immigrant has completed these requirements, the final steps for their citizenship application to be accepted by the U.S. government can be a long and strenuous period of time. The struggle that the citizenship process is one that has and continues to burden the lives of immigrants who come to the United States and want to be Americans.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Further complications arose as the issue of immigrant children came to the forefront of immigration policy. The issue surrounded children of immigrant parents who were not citizens of the US, as well as immigrant children who were brought to and raised in the United States. In June of 2016, former president Barack Obama enacted the “Dream Act” as it became known as, allowing for any child, who came to US before the age of 16, the ability to go to school, work, and escape deportation. While DACA has never actually granted full citizenship to recipients, the act does allow recipients to gain green cards, which they have used as a means of securing citizenship, and helping family members to become citizens too.
Proposed Changes to Citizenship Policy
During the 2016 presidential elections, then candidate Donald Trump fueled his anti-immigration rhetoric by proposing changes to immigration policy, including building a “huge” wall on the US-Mexico border, and slashing federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities. He has also proposed changes to get rid of the Dream Act, putting many students and children on edge as they fear of deportation to a country which they do not belong. Recently, President Trump has tried to compromise, through the allowance of citizenship for 1.8 million Dreamers and immigrants, in exchange for funding of the wall. Though significant change has yet to be made to making the path to citizenship easier (or harder), only time and the political climate will tell what the future holds for immigrants wanting to become US citizens.
Sources:
Did Obama Allow a Back Door to Citizenship with DACA?
How to Become a US Citizen- Government Site