Napolitano encourages naturalization in Hacienda Heights
In partnership with Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, D-Norwalk, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District (HLPUSD) held a naturalization workshop on Friday, Oct. 22, at the Dibble Adult School in Hacienda Heights.
The free event offered attendees, mostly adult school students, an informational presentation on who is eligible to apply for citizenship, the requirements, how and where to get application forms, what the civics test will consist of and resources available to prepare for the test, a video of a mock interview and more information.
Spanish and Chinese translators were on hand.
"Our goal is to get information out," said Mariana Gitomer, USCIS regional media manager. "We hold these sessions about once a month (in various locations) so that people are not afraid of the process and see it's pretty easy. We want to demystify the perception."
Hacienda-La Puente has been offering free citizenship and English classes for adults for many years and serves thousands of students. More than 380 students were naturalized this year alone.
"It's absolutely important to provide (community members) with a voice. If they don't have a voice things are placed on them rather than them choosing," said Cynthia Parulan-Colfer, associate superintendent of the school district.
"A lot of people are seeing these (political) ads right now and we want to emphasize the importance of naturalization," Chen said. "If they're citizens, they can vote and at the very least they can be involved in their community."
Chen noted the largely Latino and Asian population in nearby communities was another draw to bring the session to Hacienda Heights, since "historically, Latinos and Asians have lower voter turnout and lower naturalization rates."
"It's critical to become citizens," Napolitano said. "Since they are here they should help make it a better country by voting, by being involved. When you become a homeowner, you have pride and that makes it a better community."
Napolitano said her office has worked to partner with USCIS, schools and communities for many years to bring information and take away the fear some people may have towards the citizenship process.
"They have fear because they don't know the system but their fear hinders them and these services are free," Napolitano said. "You'd be surprised the reasons they give of why they don't apply. Everything that happens (during elections) is going to affect them one way or another. They need to be empowered."
Napolitano knows there are thousands of unnaturalized residents living in California and not all of them are from Mexico.
"They're Asian, European, African... Everybody is needing (help)," she said. "All these people are not going to go away."
For students, the session offered more confidence in applying for citizenship.
"I need to learn more English, practice more," said Shiu-Hua Chiu, 72, of Hacienda Heights. "It's very nice to become a citizen of the United States."
The struggle for some looking to become naturalized is not only learning English but learning the application and the questions they will have to answer for the test.
"I go over the N400 (application) with (my students) over and over again," said Ted Dutton, citizenship teacher at Hacienda La Puente. "It's a challenge but they get the words out. For many (students), they very much buy into the American dream."
Although Alcira Rodriguez has only been in the United States with her citizen husband for a few months, she knows she has a strong desire to become a citizen and stay in the country.
"I had doubts but the session helped clarify things," said the Hacienda Heights resident in Spanish. "It's a motivator to learn more English."
In the opposite situation, La Puente resident Maria Sandoval has been in the country for 20 years with her husband and children.
"I've thought about becoming a citizen since I first got here," said Sandoval, 59. "Now, I've been through a lot here and I need to do it. I have children here and I want to vote."
The 59-year-old said she was happy the session offered lots of information.
"It's encouraging," she said.
For more information about the school district's citizenship classes, call 626-933-1000 or visit www.hlpschools.org.
To contact the USCIS, visit www.uscis.gov.