Union citizenship drive downtown draws 200 immigrants

As Jorge Santurce-Vaide placed his application for citizenship and identification cards on top of a table yesterday, his permanent resident card caught the eye of the volunteer checking to make sure applications were complete. The man in the card's photograph had a thick beard and a full head of jet-black hair, with taut
skin and chubby cheeks.

"What happened here?" asked the volunteer, chuckling as he shifted his eyes from the card to Santurce-Vaide, a slim 55-year-old with receding gray hair and fine wrinkle lines. Santurce-Vaide, 55, who emigrated from Cuba in 1980, replied, "That's me, but more than 20 years ago."

Santurce-Vaide was one of about 200 immigrants from mostly Spanish-speaking countries who attended a citizenship drive yesterday in downtown Boston, at the Service Employees International Union Local 615 headquarters. The drive is part of the "Ya Es Hora: Ciudadania" national campaign seeking to help 1 million legal permanent residents become citizens and register to vote.