This story tells how some people became legal citizens. I think much more money should be spent to speed up this process and clear up the backlog. The problems these people had are the reason so many others try to come in without legal status. We really have to make this process more efficient. DP
By BRENDAN KIRBY, Staff Reporter
al.com : Amid a growing furor over illegal immigration, 25 people who came to Alabama legally officially became Americans on Friday.
Some fled war. Others sought protection from oppression. A few were motivated by love -- of the American dream or an American. Some spoke broken English with thick accents, while others were as fluent as native-born Americans.
"I love it. I love everything," Parzhin Abdullah Abdulrahman said of her new country after she and other people hailing from 18 nations swore allegiance to the United States during a ceremony in Mobile's federal courthouse.
Abdulrahman came to the United States nine years ago with her husband and son from Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Mustaffa Abdulrahman, who works as an engineer in Saraland and hopes to join his wife in citizenship, opened his briefcase and removed the document granting his family political asylum. The Abdulrahmans are Kurds, an ethnic minority from northern Iraq oppressed by the old regime.
The Abdulrahmans' home country, of course, has dominated international news in America the past few years. But they were reluctant to speak about the ongoing war there.
Parzhin Abdulrahman spoke generally about her love for America. "I don't have any problem with my (new) government," she said.
Those taking the oath Friday first had to complete years paying fees, filing paperwork and taking tests. Applicants had to travel to Atlanta to take their citizenship test, which consisted of questions about the nation's history and government. They also had to demonstrate a minimal command of English.
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
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