By Catherine Cuellar, KERA Reporter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-611901.mp3
Dallas, TX –
Host: The number of legal immigrants in north Texas applying for citizenship has increased 80% because fees go up Sunday. It's still possible to apply at the lower price, as KERA's Catherine Cuellar explains.
Catherine Cuellar: When green-card carrying immigrants want to become citizens, they must complete the N-400 form and mail it to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The processing fee has long been 400 dollars. But Sunday it rises to $675. Alberto Ruiz is a leader of the non-partisan Ya Es Hora citizenship drive, which has reviewed citizenship applications at free workshops in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, and Denton, drawing more than 2,000 legal residents
Alberto Ruiz, YaEsHora.info: People are just saying to themselves, 'if we really want to be part of the decision-making process and influence our government, we have to become citizens.' The cost and political climate around immigration have really catapulted and pushed these numbers.
Cuellar: The application takes less than an hour to complete. Immigrants need not pay an attorney to file for them, but are strongly urged to have papers reviewed by someone familiar with the process. Forms, including the $400 fee, must be postmarked before midnight Sunday.
Catherine Cuellar, KERA News
More on the web:
Ya Es Hora website