House Votes to Let Immigrants Take Citizen Oath at INS Office

The House voted Monday to allow immigrants to sidestep backlogged courts and be sworn in as citizens at an Immigration and Naturalization Service office.

Under current law, only courts can perform the citizenship ceremony. Because of crowded court schedules, immigrants in some cities have had to wait months or even more than a year, according to a recent study by the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, a nonpartisan research organization.

“This bill is designed to help aspiring citizens attain what they have earned and what is rightfully theirs,” said Rep. Bruce A. Morrison (D-Conn.), who sponsored the bill, which passed the House on a voice vote.

The measure has already been approved by the Senate, and Administration officials said they expect President Bush to sign it.

“The Administration has no objections . . . “ INS spokesman Duke Austin said. “There’s a feeling that it will expedite the process and eliminate waiting in some geographical areas.”

For permanent legal residents, who must have lived in the United States for five years and met other INS requirements, naturalization is a two-step process involving an INS interview and a court swearing-in ceremony.

An increase in naturalization applications has led to a backlog in the court stage.

In Los Angeles, permanent legal residents seeking citizenship may wait as long as a year for a court date, the study showed. The longest waits are in Houston, ranging from 11 to 18 months.

Under the bill, legal residents who meet all agency requirements could immediately be sworn in as citizens at the INS office, or they could request a court date.

Immigrant rights advocates hailed the change. “U.S. citizenship delayed is democracy denied,” the research group’s national director, Harry Pachon, said. “Court delays are a bureaucratic hurdle that could be eased through this legislation.”