Latest news with #ProjectCitizenship
Boston Globe
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘I don't know about tomorrow.' Hundreds in Boston seek citizenship aid amid Trump's immigration crackdown.
Beneche said she hopes to complete the process before she graduates from college next year. 'I'm just scared of what the government and the might do,' said Beneche. 'A lot of us just want better futures for ourselves.' Advertisement The city's Office for Immigrant Advancement and Project Citizenship, a nonprofit organization in Boston, hosted the annual event, which started in 2014. Organizers said they screened potential applicants in advance and scheduled appointments for people who qualify for citizenship, meaning they've had a green card for five years or three years if they're married to a US citizen, are age 18 or older, and can speak conversational English. Gail Breslow, Project Citizenship's executive director, said the organization has seen immigrants grow anxious as the Related : Advertisement 'We have so many clients reaching out to Project Citizenship who are anxious and fearful now, and yet are determined to go through this process because they see that even lawful permanent residents who have green cards are being subjected to deportation proceedings or being stopped at borders and not allowed re-entry to the United States,' Breslow said. 'Our phones have been ringing off the hook over the past several weeks.' Citizenship applications are also about to change next month, she said. Under an executive order signed by Trump on the first day of his second term, he ordered the federal government to require applicants for citizenship to divulge more information about their backgrounds. Trump has said the changes are intended to keep terrorists out of the US. Related : The updated citizenship application is expected to require immigrants to provide information covering the past ten years, rather than the previous requirement of five years, and seek details about applicants' parents, siblings, and children, Breslow said. She said the mandates for information about applicants' relatives will subject those family members to government scrutiny without their consent. 'It is unduly invasive, it is burdensome, and it's probably illegal,' Breslow said. Project Citizenship is also feeling the impact of Trump's budget cutting, she said. Last month, the organization lost $150,000 federal grant, which pays for five percent of the nonprofit's budget, Breslow said. Mayor Michelle Wu attended the event, and discussed her memories of her parents applying for US citizenship. Wu's parents moved to the US from Taiwan. 'We know that the whole application process is going to change under this federal administration even in the next few weeks and so there's been a huge demand of residents wanting to make sure they're getting their forms in and getting this done,' she said. Advertisement Beneche, who lives in Everett, said she knows people from Haiti who have been arrested and returned to that country since Trump took office. 'It's very heartbreaking,' she said. Haiti 'is not really a safe place to go back to.' Oscar Herrera, 42, went to the event with family members who met with volunteers to fill out citizenship applications. Oscar Herrera, who is from Honduras, plans to take his citizenship test in May. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff Herrera, who is from Honduras, said he plans to take his citizenship exam next month and watches test prep videos on his phone to get ready. He said he's approaching his citizenship application with urgency. 'Today is today. I don't know about tomorrow,' said Herrera, who works as a custodian. 'I need to become a citizen.' Maria Hemry Joseph said she came to the US from Haiti eight years ago and works as a certified nursing assistant. Speaking in French, she said she wants to become a citizen so she can vote. Adeline Mendes, another immigrant from Haiti who also works as a certified nursing assistant, said she's been living in the US for nine years. She said Trump's immigration policies don't figure into her desire to become a citizen. 'I want to vote,' said Mendes, who lives in Everett. Mendes said living in the US has made her more independent and offered opportunities for her to work and provide for her two children. 'I never stop working,' she said. Ronald St. Jacques, 43, attended the event with his father, Peter, 77, who is applying for citizenship. The younger St. Jacques said he doesn't expect his father to encounter any difficulties because of Trump's policies. Both are immigrants from Haiti. Ronald St. Jacques said he became a US citizen in 2013. Advertisement 'I don't think I have to worry about it because he's not illegal,' he said. Claudia Castro accompanied her husband to the event, who is applying for citizenship. Castro, who is from Honduras, said she became a US citizen after getting help from Project Citizenship. She said she loves the US, but Trump has changed it. 'It's different,' Castro said. 'Everybody is scared now.' Muller Mortume and his father, Jean, both moved to the US from Haiti. The younger Mortume is already a citizen and now his father is applying. Muller Mortume, left, was with his father, Jean Murat Mortume, at an event Saturday for immigrants applying for citizenship. The elder Mortume is applying for citizenship; his son is already a citizen. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff The elder Mortume has been in the US for about 15 years, his son said, and he worries about his relatives who have been authorized to stay in the country under humanitarian parole or temporary protected status protections extended to Haitians. The Trump administration has sought to end humanitarian parole protections for migrants from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, though a federal judge in Boston has blocked any changes for now. Another form of temporary immigration protections for Haitians is scheduled to end in August. 'Everything happens so fast,' said Muller Mortume. 'Things are shifting too quick.' Laura Crimaldi can be reached at
Axios
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Boston's Citizenship Day will look different this year
Boston officials plan to ramp up security for its Citizenship Day event Saturday to limit the chances of immigration agents showing up unannounced. Why it matters: The changes aim to ensure immigrants eligible to apply for citizenship can safely take part in the event without fear of being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says Monique Nguyen, chief of the city's office for immigrant advancement. State of play: Boston's 11th annual Citizenship Day event at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center will go private this year, with only listed participants allowed to enter the building. Project Citizenship and other vendors will return to help eligible immigrants submit citizenship applications. They will also have resources about how to enroll in classes to learn English or prepare for the citizenship exam. Other vendors include St. Mark's School, English for New Bostonians and the Immigrant Family Services Institute, per Nguyen's office. What they're saying: "What's beautiful about it is they put everything into one day to make it easy for people to file, get their paperwork together," Nguyen tells Axios. "It gets a really hard step over in one day." The big picture: This year's events come as the Trump administration has questioned East Boston business owners, detained international students and hauled off undocumented immigrants without criminal records alongside alleged gang members. By the numbers: Nearly 24,000 people became citizens in Massachusetts in fiscal 2024, the most recent USCIS data available. The city estimates that some 220,000 lawful permanent residents in Massachusetts were eligible to become U.S. citizens but didn't do so as of January 2023. Nguyen estimates some 300 Boston-area residents will attend Saturday's festivities. Many immigrants across the U.S. spend decades in the country without applying for citizenship. Some fear they would lose pensions and benefits by renouncing their original citizenship, a process involved with some countries that don't recognize dual citizenship. Others say they don't feel confident in passing an English-language citizenship exam. Project Citizenship's team helps residents determine if their home countries' policies have changed or if they could pass the test through English classes or a waiver to take an exam in their home language, Nguyen says. Yes, but: The biggest hurdle this year may be the chilling effect throughout immigrant communities as the Trump administration orders a ramp-up in deportations.
