Record Numbers Hope to Receive U. S. Citizenship : Immigration: Surge in applications from legal residents is said to be driven in large part by anti-immigrant sentiment.

Legal immigrants in Ventura County are signing up to become U.S. citizens in record numbers, driven in large part by the current anti-immigrant mood sweeping the state.

This year alone, more than 700 permanent residents have applied for citizenship through El Concilio del Condado de Ventura, an Oxnard-based advocacy group. That is nearly twice the number that applied in the previous five years combined.

Many are like Jose Balan, who told his classmates at a citizenship class last week that he wants to become an American because of Proposition 187. The Oxnard resident said it was frustrating to watch voters overwhelmingly approve the measure without being able to cast a ballot against it.

“I want to be able to vote in the next election,” said Balan, 37, who after five years of legal residency became eligible last week for citizenship.

Two nights a week, he and about 20 other Mexican immigrants pile into a class at El Concilio to learn what it will take to pursue their American dream. The Concilio also offers regular workshops to help people prepare their citizenship applications.

“There are a lot of people like me,” Balan said. “I think you are going to see more and more people becoming citizens.”

There are reasons besides Proposition 187 for the increased interest in citizenship.

Some longtime immigrants are choosing to become citizens rather than contend with a new Immigration and Naturalization Service campaign to replace residency cards issued before 1978 with new, tamper-resistant cards.

The documents, known as green cards because of their original color, are proof of permanent resident status. The replacement campaign affects 1.5 million cardholders nationwide, many of whom are choosing to apply for citizenship rather than hassle with the renewal process.

Other immigrants are pursuing citizenship because they want to speed up the process of legalizing family members stuck on INS waiting lists, awaiting the issuance of resident cards.

But for the most part, immigrant-rights advocates say Proposition 187 is the driving force behind the current interest in citizenship. The measure seeks to deny schooling, non-emergency health care and other public benefits to illegal immigrants.

Although those in the classes are legal residents, many are signing up for citizenship to have some say in the political process.

“It is one of the unintended effects of Proposition 187,” said Karl Lawson, an immigrant-rights activist in Oxnard. “As a result, a whole lot of people are going to become legalized a whole lot quicker.”

Steve Frank, who headed the Ventura County campaign in support of the measure, said he is glad to see those who qualify for citizenship take advantage of its benefits.

But he said he believes any boost in citizenship applications as a result of Proposition 187 will be short-lived.

“It’s a momentary effect,” Frank said. “Give it three months and it will be over with.”

Nevertheless, advocates say they believe the largest wave of citizenship applicants is yet to come.

On Thursday, farm laborers such as Balan who were granted legal status five years ago under the Special Agricultural Workers program became eligible for citizenship.

To apply for citizenship, immigrants must have five years of permanent residency, be 18 years or older and have a basic knowledge of U.S. history and government. They must also have conversational English skills.

More than 16,000 agricultural workers in Ventura County were legalized under the agricultural workers program.

Anticipating the increased demand, the Oxnard High Adult Education School, together with El Concilio, will add eight citizenship classes next month to its curriculum. The adult school currently offers one citizenship class.

“We are actually seeing an incredible jump,” said Greg Simons, coordinator of El Concilio’s immigration program. “Many legal immigrants are feeling victims of this wave of anti-immigrant backlash.”

Beyond the uncertainty surrounding the passage of Proposition 187, many immigrants say they are seeking citizenship to accelerate the process of gaining legal status for their families.

Immigrant advocates estimate that about half of the 16,000 agricultural workers legalized five years ago have spouses who have applications pending for legal residency. Caught in the INS bureaucracy, those applicants could wait three to 15 years to gain legal status.

But for the family members of permanent residents who become citizens, it could take just a few months.

That is why Oxnard resident Ciria Moreno is applying for citizenship.

Moreno, 47, is among the agricultural workers who gained permanent resident status five years ago and who became eligible to apply for citizenship Thursday.

Three of her five children are illegal immigrants, stuck on waiting lists to become legal residents. By becoming a citizen, Moreno will dramatically speed up the process.

“It will help me and will help my children,” said Moreno, who like Balan is enrolled in one of El Concilio’s citizenship classes. “Without legal papers, you cannot do anything in this country.”

Salvador Vera, 36, said he applied for citizenship as soon as he could, eager to clear the way for his wife and five children to immigrate from Guanajuato, Mexico.

“That is my goal,” he said. “I’ve been in this country by myself for many years. I have established my life here, and now it’s time for them to join me.”

In Ventura County, no one has taught more immigrants about citizenship than Bill Morgan. For 32 years, the 76-year-old schoolteacher has helped thousands of people pass the citizenship exam.

Morgan teaches one class a week for the Oxnard adult school. He said the number of immigrants taking citizenship classes has remained consistently high for several years.

“For most people, particularly after they get married or reach 30, the chances of them going back home are pretty small,” Morgan said. “The fact is they kind of get settled in the States, and even though it’s far from perfect, it’s pretty darned good.”

Morgan said he sees the debate over immigration, illegal or otherwise, as having little to do with the students who come through his class.

“I’ve never met an immigrant who was anything but great,” he said. “These people are the best Americans we have.”