As the US turns 250, new citizens feel pride and unease: ‘It’s survival’
The Guardian – US News
theguardian.com
Summary
Amid Trump’s immigration crackdown, thousands take the oath of allegiance in a US ‘not as welcoming as in the past’ I n June, Yesica McKeone officially became a US citizen. Some cried softly. “I’m finally here,” McKeone, 32, remembered thinking about her citizenship journey. The barriers and the continued aggressive immigration crackdown raise a question for people eligible for naturalization: are they still welcome here? The first naturalization law, passed in 1790, limited citizenship to “ free white persons ”. In the 1920s, Congress began building a restrictive quota system that narrowed immigration from much of the world. The 1965 Hart-Celler Act dismantled those national-origins quotas, opening the door to more diverse immigration. The nation’s 250th celebrations are unfolding against a national backdrop of aggressive immigration enforcement and dramatic changes to immigration policy: the Trump administration has challenged birthright citizenship, radically restricted legal immigration and brought on a a renewed focus on denaturalization . That fear is colliding with a naturalization process that has also grown more demanding. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security proposed steep increases for citizenship application fees. For some, the benefits of citizenship outweigh the cost and uncertainty.
From the source
Amid Trump’s immigration crackdown, thousands take the oath of allegiance in a US ‘not as welcoming as in the past’ In June, Yesica McKeone officially became a US citizen. At the naturalization ceremony, she raised a hand and took the oath of allegiance to a country on the verge of its 250th anniversary. Thousands of new citizens recited the oath alongside her. Some cried softly. “I’m finally here,” McKeone, 32, remembered thinking about her citizenship journey. At two years old, she left Michoacán, Mexico, with her family and settled in California, where she became a permanent resident. Now, home is a pastoral patch of land in Solvang, in the heart of California’s central coast. Continue reading...
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Published by The Guardian – US News on theguardian.com
