Citizen Gain : Uncertainty Over New Laws Sets Off a Rush to Naturalize

Many didn’t know the words to the National Anthem, so they hummed. Loudly. Where they couldn’t remember parts of the Pledge of Allegiance, they ad-libbed by mouthing words, any words.

So what if these newly sworn-in American citizens stumbled over parts of these well-known rites? “It is all in the heart,” explained Sang P. Hong, placing her hands just there, “all in the spirit of this wonderful, happy day.”

The 55-year-old Anaheim resident, of Korean descent, was one of 800 immigrants who took the Oath of Allegiance and became U.S. citizens Friday at an emotional ceremony at the Sequoia Athletic Club.

The ceremony marked the fourth time the Immigration and Naturalization Service performed the event in Orange County this year, the most the INS has ever had in the area in one year.

The pace reflected a trend: More and more immigrants are applying for U.S. citizenship. In past years, the INS performed only one or two ceremonies in Orange County, spokesman Rico Cabrera said.

INS officials attributed the increased number of applicants, in part, to the growing concerns stemming from anti-immigration sentiment and proposed policy such as Proposition 187, the state ballot initiative passed by voters last year that would eliminate most non-emergency public services for illegal immigrants.

A federal judge has ruled much of the law unconstitutional, but many people still believe their benefits may be cut, said Jane Arellano, an INS official in Los Angeles.

Cesar and Perigrina Ramirez of Peru said they have heard rumors of laws that would oust some immigrants from the United States. So, after 20 years of living as permanent residents here, the Santa Ana couple decided to become citizens, “just in case.”

“We don’t know what the laws are going to do and don’t know how they will affect us,” said Cesar Ramirez, 46. “We just don’t want to lose our rights.”

Others said they became citizens so they could vote. And some are driven by a more abstract reason: to have a sense of belonging.

“To me, this says, ‘Welcome to this country,’ ” said Socorro Vasquez, 52, of Santa Ana, as she proudly waved her citizenship certificate. She and her husband, Alejandro, left Mexico 16 years ago.

“I always felt like I only worked here in this country,” she said. “Now, I belong here.”

The 800 naturalized citizens represented 51 countries. They included 306 from Vietnam, 259 from Mexico, 36 from Laos, 22 from El Salvador and 18 from Poland.

In the past year, applicants for citizenship have doubled, causing a backlog of cases. To expedite the process, INS officials have added staff members, streamlined the interviewing procedures and upgraded their computer system, Arellano said.

“We hope that by summer ‘96, we will only have an applicant waiting six months from the time of filing to oath-taking,” instead of the normal one-year period, she said.

To become a citizen, applicants must fill out documents, be interviewed by INS officials, and pass a U.S. government and history exam. Then, they wait for the final ceremony--like the one Friday--in which they swear to serve and defend the country.

Joanna Nachurski, 30, of Anaheim had tears in her eyes when she repeated the oath, administered by U.S. District Judge Gary L. Taylor. “It’s still my country,” she said of Poland. “I have so great feelings for [it] because I was born there. But my best action now is for America because it is my new country.”

For Xuan Nguyen, of Santa Ana, the moment was also bittersweet. The 43-year-old man had resisted becoming a U.S. citizen since emigrating from Vietnam seven years ago. He had harbored hopes and waited fruitlessly for the Communist government, which took over his country in 1975, to be overthrown. He has finally let go of such dreams, he said.

“I have to go on. This country has accepted me and it’s time that I accept it as my new home,” Nguyen said. “By roots, I am Vietnamese. But on paper, I am now an American.”