Reasons to Become a Citizen
By Osvaldo Castillo
El Observador
My father moved to the United States almost 30 years ago. He was a manager at a company in Juarez, Mexico and was paid fairly well. However, he knew that he would be more successful in life if he lived in the U.S.
He faced several obstacles such as a language barrier and a lack of job opportunities. But with a lot of focused hard work, he was able to overcome those obstacles and land a job that provided more income than the job he had in Mexico.
About 15 years ago, he decided to become a US citizen.
"I just figured that I had been in the country long enough that it was time that I participated in its politics," he said. "I have always been interested in politics and now I wanted my voice to be heard."
He would ask me to help him with a few questions regarding the country's history, but the truth was that the test was actually easier than he ever imagined.
"They asked me if I knew who the first president of the US was. I knew the answer to that since I was a kid in Mexico," he joked.
Today, there are thousands of immigrants residents who are eligible to receive their citizenship status if they ever started the process. Recent estimates suggest that there are about 150,000 residents eligible to naturalize in Santa Clara County but have not been able to do so for various reasons.
On April 17th, the County Citizenship Collaborative will offer free orientations in 14 languages to those residents who wish to become citizens.
The orientations will offers legal permanent residents the opportunity to receive information and be counted as full-fledged citizens of the United States. Participants will also learn about potential impacts of the Census and the proposed comprehensive immigration reform. 
"U.S. citizenship is a liberating experience for everyone who seeks the power of the vote, access to a full federal safety net and federal jobs, the warmth of a family reunited, and assurances that with a U.S. passport one can travel more freely and be sure that living in this country can never be taken away," said Richard Hobbs an attorney at Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN).
SIREN will be one of many organizations that will assist immigrants in the citizenship process.
Over the years, the Citizenship Collaborative and County efforts have assisted more than 125,000 individuals with their citizenship process.
In 2008, 185,800 naturalized citizens voted, one of every four voters, in the November election in Santa Clara County.
The naturalization process takes three to four months. For more information visit www.siren-bayarea.org.