At noon on Aug. 30 in Littleton, immigrants from El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Peru and Vietnam will swear loyalty to the United States, becoming new citizens of this country.
There’s not much unusual about that. Thousands of people from around the world become new U.S. citizens each year. But it’s not an easy process. You have to have entered the U.S. legally, lived here as a permanent resident for the past five years (three years if married to a citizen), paid taxes and stayed out of trouble with the law. You have to pay a fee of $675, be fingerprinted, have a background check, and pass an exam testing your knowledge of U.S. history and civics.
Among the 96 questions in the exam are these:
1) What kind of government does the United States have?
2) What’s the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
3) How many times may a U.S. senator or congressman be re-elected?
4) How many voting members are in the U.S. House of Representatives?
5) How long are senators’ terms? How long is the president’s term?
6) Name the amendments to the Constitution that address voting rights.
Answers to these questions are below.
Immigrants – especially those with limited English – say the verbal section of the exam is the most frightening part of the process. In the words of a woman from South America, “I know all the answers, but when I have to say them in English, they fly right out of my head.”
Realizing this, one metro-area community is helping immigrants with their naturalization exams. The Littleton Immigrant Integration Initiative, funded by the Colorado Trust, is pairing immigrants with volunteer mentors. Together, the pairs study exam questions at the city’s library.
Officials at the U.S. Office of Citizenship say that although many cities offer citizenship classes, they know of no other community in the country sponsoring such one-on-one mentoring. In recognition of the uniqueness of the program, the Office of Citizenship will administer the oath to the Littleton immigrants together.
Usually people becoming citizens are sworn among strangers. In the case of Littleton, they will be surrounded by others in the program as well as their families, friends and mentors.
Alejandra Harguth, coordinator for the initiative, says the citizenship mentoring has had an additional advantage beyond helping immigrants study for their naturalization exams. “Many of the immigrant-mentor pairs have become good friends, sharing information about their cultures with each other,” she says.
Noting that the second phase of the mentoring program is now getting underway with 23 new mentor/ mentee pairs, Harguth says the initiative also helps newcomers with information, encourages two-way integration, teaches English as a Second Language and encourages community involvement.
So, how many of the questions for new citizens could you answer?
1) A republic.
2) The right to vote.
3) There are no term limits for senators or congressmen.
4) 435.
5) Senators are elected for six years, the president for four.
6) The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, the 15th enfranchised former slaves, the 24th made it illegal to impose a poll tax to keep someone from voting, and the 26th lowered the voting age to 18.
You can test your knowledge of the full questions at . Or come to Bemis Public Library, 6014 S. Datura St. in Littleton, at noon on Aug. 30 and meet a group of immigrants who know the answers. You’ll be among people who have worked long and hard to earn the freedoms too many of us take for granted. I guarantee there won’t be a dry eye in the house.
Susan Thornton, former mayor of Littleton, is the volunteer chair of the nonprofit Littleton Immigrant Integration Initiative (www.ConnectingImmigrants.org). She can be reached at smthornton@aol.com.
