More immigrants applying to become citizens

I'm happy to hear that people who have been eligible, often for many years, are applying for citizenship. They can vote, have all the rights of citizenship and help make a difference in the country. DP

By Mike Madden, Gannett News Service
theithacajournal.com: WASHINGTON — More immigrants applied to become U.S. citizens last year than any year since 1999, thanks largely to the national debate over border security and illegal immigration.

Government officials, advocates for immigrants and demographers said the increased applications mirrored a similar spike about a decade ago, the last time illegal immigration was so prominent in national politics.

Applications for citizenship increased more than 19 percent over the 2005 fiscal year, with 721,268 immigrants seeking to become naturalized in fiscal 2006, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials. A total of 696,020 new citizens were sworn in during 2006.

“Every time there's an immigration debate, there's always a big surge in applications for naturalization,” said Dan Kane, a spokesman for the agency.
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