skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Immigration Crisis: Naturalization Backlog Leaves Californians In Limbo

play audio
Play

Friday, August 8, 2008   

San Francisco, CA - The path to becoming a U.S. citizen is growing longer and longer, leaving many of California's legal immigrants stuck in the process. It's a part of the immigration crisis that's often overlooked, according to a new report that finds the backlog can hurt families and careers and can jeopardize a citizen’s right to vote.

The report found that many California applicants are having to wait 10 to 14 months, but for San Francisco resident Maria Costelloe, the wait has been even longer. The Ireland native applied for citizenship in 2004.

"I found that, whenever I would ask them how my application was doing, I'd get a standard letter back, or I'd get very little information when I would phone."

Costelloe did recently get approval and will be sworn in next week as a new citizen

Alfredo DeAvila, senior program associate for the Applied Research Center, says the delays mean many will lose their opportunity to vote.

"The government will surely not process them quickly enough for people to register and vote in this coming election in November, even though citizenship is about participating within a democratic society."

Immigration officials say they have done a lot to decrease the backlog by increasing staff and improving the process. Part of the delay is attributed to more-stringent FBI security checks; there was also a rush of applicants trying to beat a large rise in fees.

The report, "Out of Focus: The Hidden Crisis of the Latest Backlogs in Naturalization Processing," may be found at
www.immigrationforum.org.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021