I would like to devote my column today to those immigrants who are waiting for the documents that will bring them forward into a regular American life. Official papers giving them the right to be in the shade if they so desire, not in the shadows.
We, the immigrants, come here for different reasons — I hope all are valid. Our trip to the United States starts when we understand what we are suffering in the land we were born in, and something has to be done.
Once you make the decision — probably the most important in your lifetime — you have to understand that you are engaging in a new serious duty. If an immigrant is to find a job and enjoy a new life with freedom and dollars, it's necessary to think about what he owes the U.S. once he sets foot here.
Criminal acts, drugs, abuse, changes of identity and fraud must be out of the immigrant’s record. Also, driving without a license or under the influence, theft, gang activities, kidnapping or rape, among other crimes, may taint a person with no possibility of becoming a citizen, not even a resident.
Health is just as important in applying for citizenship. The three of us — my husband, my son and I — went through all the checking and rechecking before the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Department gave us the OK to continue the process.
Let me tell you a little story about a Cuban, who belonged to the Communist Party in Cuba but came to the U.S. later as a refugee. As incredible as it sounds, he was confronted on his second day here with an identification showing his name as belonging to the Communist Party. He was deported on the spot. He didn't have a chance to either stay in the U.S. or come back.
We Cuban refugees were surprised that the American intelligence agencies kept everybody's records so tidy. On my first day in the United States, all women on the two flights from Cuba were taken to spend the night in a hotel in Miami, Fla. The next day, a bus took all of us to the FBI offices, then to the Immigration Department, where we were searched "body and soul.” These were the first steps for us. Then, I just had a clean slate as a refugee.
My husband, my son and I became residents of the U.S. and five years later, after passing all the rigorous laws, commitments and everything else, we applied for citizenship. Difficult? Yes.
Remember, it’s not just doing what you have to do, it’s doing it right. While you are investigated, you have time to learn English. I don't know how it works now, but when we took the tests, written and oral, they were in English.
I'm just recounting for you guys the long and demanding process of earning citizenship. It's much better to know what to expect and be ready. Let me add to our story that in coming from Cuba, we didn't know anybody here. We worked hard for a few dollars and applied for a grant to study at the University of Kansas. All three of us.
Citizenship is the best step you may take in your new life. At the immigration office in Kansas City, Mo. (there wasn't any in Kansas City, Kan.) in the last day of our procedure that lasted over a year, the official at the desk said while shaking my hand, "Celia Pineiro, you are now an American citizen. Don't let anybody call you Cuban or Cuban-American. You are an American citizen. Congratulations.” I was thrilled.
Dear immigrants, thank you for your time, and good luck.
|
|
|
I would like to devote my column today to those immigrants who are waiting for the documents that will bring them forward into a regular American life. Official papers giving them the right to be in the shade if they so desire, not in the shadows.
We, the immigrants, come here for different reasons — I hope all are valid. Our trip to the United States starts when we understand what we are suffering in the land we were born in, and something has to be done.
Once you make the decision — probably the most important in your lifetime — you have to understand that you are engaging in a new serious duty. If an immigrant is to find a job and enjoy a new life with freedom and dollars, it's necessary to think about what he owes the U.S. once he sets foot here.
Criminal acts, drugs, abuse, changes of identity and fraud must be out of the immigrant’s record. Also, driving without a license or under the influence, theft, gang activities, kidnapping or rape, among other crimes, may taint a person with no possibility of becoming a citizen, not even a resident.
Health is just as important in applying for citizenship. The three of us — my husband, my son and I — went through all the checking and rechecking before the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Department gave us the OK to continue the process.
Let me tell you a little story about a Cuban, who belonged to the Communist Party in Cuba but came to the U.S. later as a refugee. As incredible as it sounds, he was confronted on his second day here with an identification showing his name as belonging to the Communist Party. He was deported on the spot. He didn't have a chance to either stay in the U.S. or come back.
We Cuban refugees were surprised that the American intelligence agencies kept everybody's records so tidy. On my first day in the United States, all women on the two flights from Cuba were taken to spend the night in a hotel in Miami, Fla. The next day, a bus took all of us to the FBI offices, then to the Immigration Department, where we were searched "body and soul.” These were the first steps for us. Then, I just had a clean slate as a refugee.
My husband, my son and I became residents of the U.S. and five years later, after passing all the rigorous laws, commitments and everything else, we applied for citizenship. Difficult? Yes.
Remember, it’s not just doing what you have to do, it’s doing it right. While you are investigated, you have time to learn English. I don't know how it works now, but when we took the tests, written and oral, they were in English.
I'm just recounting for you guys the long and demanding process of earning citizenship. It's much better to know what to expect and be ready. Let me add to our story that in coming from Cuba, we didn't know anybody here. We worked hard for a few dollars and applied for a grant to study at the University of Kansas. All three of us.
Citizenship is the best step you may take in your new life. At the immigration office in Kansas City, Mo. (there wasn't any in Kansas City, Kan.) in the last day of our procedure that lasted over a year, the official at the desk said while shaking my hand, "Celia Pineiro, you are now an American citizen. Don't let anybody call you Cuban or Cuban-American. You are an American citizen. Congratulations.” I was thrilled.
Dear immigrants, thank you for your time, and good luck.
