A Young Man Struggles for Citizenship

One of Michael Wu’s fantasies is to join the Navy, perhaps because he is fascinated with fighter jets and the sharp Navy uniforms. But the 25-year-old Taiwanese native has Down’s syndrome, a form of mental retardation that not only makes that impossible, but is keeping him from his biggest fantasy: becoming an American citizen.

Wu, of Mira Mesa, has lived in the United States since 1980, and has attempted the naturalization exam six times, becoming more depressed each time he fails it. During that time, he has watched his parents and two older brothers take the exam and become naturalized citizens.

This month brought Wu and his family a glimmer of hope when Rep. Bill Lowery introduced a private bill--one addressing an individual problem--in Congress that could finally secure Wu his citizenship.

The family had seen that glimmer before--aside from each time Wu took the exam--in July, 1989, when former Rep. Jim Bates sponsored a bill in hopes that Wu would become a citizen without passing the test. The House of Representatives approved the legislation, but the Senate did not act on it by the end of the 101st Congress.

When that bill languished, Wu went back to studying with his mother, Caroline Wu, each night after dinner, concentrating on the history and government portion of the exam. He first attempted the test in 1985, and he last took it in 1988.

But he keeps on studying.

“I’ve always tried to help him as much as I could,” Wu’s mother, who has written to government officials explaining her son’s situation, said. “I give him support, and we study over and over and over.”

Wu, a shy, quiet man, said it makes him feel bad when he fails the test and that becoming a citizen is important to him. Wu has permanent resident status but feels that something is missing from his life without his citizenship, Caroline Wu said.

Wu said he wants to become a citizen so he can vote.

“Michael knows he’s not a citizen, and he tries so hard,” Caroline Wu said. “He can answer the simple questions (on the exam) but not the hard ones. Each time I take him, and he fails, he feels so depressed. I just tell him next time he’ll pass.”

Caroline Wu has built on the skills her son learned at the special education Mission Beach School, where he received his high school diploma, and she has also taught him how to read and write Chinese. She said she always encourages him to learn more and will continue to teach him American history, whether he becomes a citizen or not.

Caroline Wu said she will never give up on her bilingual son and his quest to become a citizen, because she feels responsible for his condition. She was a registered nurse in Taiwan and, in 1966, the year she was pregnant with Michael, worked at the U.S. Navy Dispensary there. She said she constantly administered X-rays to patients at the nearby Chinese Army Hospital.

Even though doctors dismiss the possible connection, she thinks the radiation exposure she received during her pregnancy may have caused Michael’s chromosomal abnormality.

“I feel I was exposed to too many X-rays,” she said. “I feel so sorry to Michael, that’s why I do what I do.”

Lowery said the Wu story tugged at his heartstrings. Both Lowery and Bates said passing private bills is very difficult, but they feel that this case is most deserving.

“We’re going to get this bill through,” Lowery said from his Washington office. “We’re fully prepared, and I am committed to make this bill a reality. It will become law.”

Lowery said he is confident about Wu’s case because he introduced a private bill early in his congressional career that become law.

But it will not be easy. In 1989, only two private bills were passed by Congress. In 1990, 14 private bills, usually concerning immigration and claims against the government, passed.

The Wu bill will have to pass every governmental hurdle and be signed by President Bush before it becomes a law.

“We have to be patient, because this is not an easy case,” Caroline Wu said. “I am so appreciative, because, since we’ve arrived in this country, so many people have helped me.”

The support for Wu seems to come from far and wide--from his mother, father and brothers, the state-run Developmental Disabilities Board, politicians and his teachers at the North Shores Center in Mission Beach, where Wu has been learning social and communicative skills since 1988.

“Mike is an excellent student, very intelligent and communicative,” said Roger Phelps, a program manager at the center. “He has good social skills and can do just about anything you give him. He is what we refer to as one of our ‘higher functioning clients.’ ”

His teacher, Don Mudd, whom Wu has a framed picture of in his bedroom, said Wu is a productive student and can articulate the answers to most questions asked of him. Mudd said he believes Wu deserves to be an American citizen.