ABLE takes immigrants through naturalization process, sees spike during election year
ABLE takes immigrants through naturalization process, sees spike during election year
The following, posted by Ashley Hill, appeared Saturday, February 27, 2016 on wtol.com
Patty Hernández, a senior attorney with ABLE - Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, says this year they have a larger turnout of people interested in becoming American citizens.This, she thinks, could be the result of it being an election year.
"People want to exercise their right to vote," she said.
ABLE met on Saturday morning to discuss the naturalization process with immigrants from various countries and give them the necessary information including: what the process involves, how much it costs, how long it takes and what information they need for the application.
The goal of Hernández and the rest of ABLE is to get that process started as soon as possible so new citizens can vote in this year's elections.
A follow-up event will be held March 12 where people will receive one-on-one assistance with an attorney or BIA accredited representative.
"We believe that, to have the best community possible, we want everyone to be...we want to be as inclusive as possible, we want to be as engaging as possible, we want everyone's contributions to be heard and appreciated," Hernández said. "And, what better way than to to have them become United States citizens."
