KEARNY —
The Portuguese Cultural Association of Kearny is partnering with We Are One New Jersey’s Hudson County Center for a “Citizenship Clinic” Saturday, July 1.
First Ward Councilman Albino Cardoso, a member of the PCA, said he was approached by Victor Campos, president of the group, about the possibility of hosting the clinic.
Members of the Jersey City-based We Are One — whose website lists its mission as “to provide social and legal services that educate, empower and uplift working families” — will advise clients how to fill out citizenship applications, Cardoso said.
This clinic, the councilman added, “is open to everyone,” and while the PCA has its attention focused particularly on the West Hudson region, no one will be turned away, he stressed.
Why now?
“The way things are going now [on the federal level],” Cardoso said, “there is no security for non-citizens where any small thing could trigger a deportation.”
With the U.S. policy on immigration still in flux, and federal courts at variance with a presidential mandate, improving prospects for attaining citizenship becomes all the more important, the lawmaker said.
And, he said, the timing is particularly critical for those immigrants who came to the U.S. as a child and assimilated, many with families and jobs, but never completed the process to become an American citizen.
If they are deported to their country of origin, Cardoso said, many will lack a support system to acclimate there.
“Many don’t have relations, they don’t know the language so it becomes like a second banishment,” he said.
PCA president Campos said there are “some members” of the association who, despite being productive community residents, have expressed concern about citizenship.
“Everybody’s a little bit scared,” he said, about facing the possibility of being displaced.
Yanina T. Paz, president of the Peruvian Civic Association and a Kearny businesswoman, said she knows of “at least two” members of her group who could benefit from the clinic.
One is a Peruvian who has spent the past decade in the U.S. and the other is a Colombian who has lived in Newark for the last seven years, she said.
Others may also need advice, Paz said, but “some feel intimidated” about coming forward.
Just how potentially serious is the situation? According to We Are One New Jersey, Hudson County, as the state’s most densely populated county with more than 650,000 residents, “is also home to 93,000 Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs), who are eligible to become U.S. citizens, but who may lack the financial resources, English-language skills or time to fulfill their dream of full citizenship.”
Finances certainly figure in the equation, noted Kearny Second Ward Councilman Peter Santana, a naturalized citizen who was born in Brazil.
“Three years ago,” he said, “I paid $670 for my [citizenship] application fee, plus another $85 for fingerprinting. Today, the fingerprinting is the same but the application fee is $1,170.”
Still, some applicants may be eligible for what Kearny Mayor Alberto Santos described as a hardship situation where “there is a possibility of getting the fee waived.”
That’s the type of guidance that the July 1 clinic will likely dispense. To find out if they qualify for a reduced or waived fee, visitors are asked to bring their most recent tax return and an award letter for SNAP, WIC, TANF, SSI or Medicaid (if applicable).
Clinic attendees will also learn that imprecise command of the English language need not be a hindrance to taking a citizenship exam if they are at least age 55 and if they’ve been a permanent resident for 15 years.
PCA vice president Maria Sousa, who came to the U.S. as a 7-year-old, recalled how, a decade ago, she “translated for my father” when he took his exam for citizenship.
One Kearny resident who may end up taking that test – without a translator – may be Kathy Santos (no relation to the mayor), a green card-holder from her native Chile who has lived in the U.S. since 1985.
“My [green card] renewal comes up this year,” said Santos, an active member of the Junior Woman’s Club of Arlington. A Facebook notice about the clinic caught her interest.
Many immigrants facing prosecution for alleged criminal acts who are at risk of deportation are being detained at the Hudson County Jail and the county receives $20 million a year for that service under federal immigration law, Section 287 (G). Like several other municipal leaders, Mayor Steven Fulop has proclaimed Jersey City a “sanctuary city,” but Santos calls that a “misleading” label, with no force of law behind it.
Still, Santos said, “In Kearny, we don’t ask anyone for their [residency] status.” However, he added, if someone undocumented is arrested and goes to the county jail, they can face the possibility of being deported, given the county’s participation in the 287 (g) program.
The clinic is scheduled to run from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (July 1) at the local Portuguese Cultural Association club, 408 Schuyler Ave., at the corner of Quincy Ave.
Priority will be given to those with appointments. For more information or to make an appointment, call We Are One New Jersey at 201-209-2839 or register by going to Facebook.com/weareonenewjersey.
People are also invited to call the PCA at 201-998-4777.
Going to the clinic?
For those planning to attend the Citizenship Clinic in Kearny, here’s a checklist of requirements to qualify for citizenship:
- You must have attained the age of at least 18.
- You must have been a Legal Permanent Resident for 5 years or 3 years if your spouse is a U.S. citizen.
- You have not committed or been convicted of certain crimes.
- You have had a good moral character in the past five years.
- You have not been outside the U.S. for long periods of time.
- You are registered with the Selective Service if you’re a man between ages 18 and 26.
- You speak, write and read basic English or you’ve been granted an exemption.
Here’s a list of documents you need to bring to the clinic:
- Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) card (also known as Green Card).
- State photo ID.
- Social Security card.
- All current and expired passports.
- Two passport-size photos.
- List of all places of residency for the past 5 years with corresponding dates.
- List of all employers with addresses for the past 5 years and dates of employment.
- List of all travel outside the U.S. since the date you obtained your Green Card, including destinations and dates of travel.
- List with complete names, dates of birth, home addresses and Alien Number (if applicable) of all children and copy of each child’s birth certificate (if available).
- All certificates of marriage, divorce, death and/or annulment.
- Certified court disposition and arrest report from police (if applicable).
If you are seeking citizenship based on marriage, also bring these documents:
- All marriage and divorce certificates.
- Spouse’s birth certificate, passport and Naturalization Certificate (if applicable).
- Proof that you and your spouse share the same address (bank statements, etc.).
- Lease agreements or mortgages and tax returns for the past 3 years.
- Court order authorizing name change (if you have changed your name).
