SEIU Lays Out Measures to Reduce Naturalization Backlog and Help New Citizens Vote in 2008

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.