27: Countdown to Constitution Day

Constitution Day (or Citizenship Day) is an American federal holiday that recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution. Citizenship Day also recognizes all who have become citizens due to either coming of age or naturalization. It is celebrated on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787.

Before Constution Day, students study the US Constitution, focusing on the rights and responsibilites of American Citizenship. On Constitution Day, students sign a large copy of the Constitution and are given pocket-sized copies of the Constitution. Many adult schools honor the students who were naturalized as American citizen during the previous school year. The school also encourages the students who are preparing for naturalization during the upcoming school year.

Today's Topic: The Preamble

The Premble lists the reasons that the 13 original colonies separated from their mother ountry, and became an independent nation.

We the People of the United States,
in Order to form a more perfect Union, good government
establish Justice, good laws

insure domestic Tranquility, peace in our homes

provide for the common defence, national security
promote the general Welfare, healthy communities
and secure the Blessings of Liberty freedom
to ourselves and our Posterity, children
do ordain and establish give authority
this Constitution the supreme law of the land

for the United States of America.

For more information, see: Nation Constitution Center: We the People and EL Civics.

Added 08/28/08 Listen to ESLPOD English 92 for the Preamble to the US Constitution.
Check back every day for more info on the Constitution!

The Oath Ceremony Part 5: I'm Proud to Be an American!

After the Oath of Allegiance, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, who represents south San Jose and Santa Clara County, spoke to the the new cititzens about her grandfather. She said that she was very proud of her immigrant grandfather and one of her most important possession is her grandfather's citizenship papers.

Her grandfather's pride in his new country inspired Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren to work hard on behalf of immigrants' rights. She is very sympathetic to all immigrant communities, particularly the San Jose Vietnamese-American community and worked towards a just resolution of the Little Saigon controversy. Here she is at the SJ 2008 Tet Parade:

After Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren spoke, we watched a video-taped greeting from President George W. Bush on a stadium screen. (Unfortunately, my photo of the President speaking on the video screen turned out very poorly. Here is a video of a similar speech that President George w. Bush gave on July 4, 2008 at an Oath Ceremony.) People loved the video's song, "I'm Proud to be an American" and I heard several groups of children singing the refrain over and over as we left the building.

After a short wait, the new citizens came out. Presenting Mr & Mrs Champaklal and Savita Nakrani, Citizens of the United States of America!

After this photo, the Nakranis immediately turned in their voter registration cards. Outside of the fairgrounds, they bought display folders for the citizenship papers and immediately slipped them in.

After years living in the shadows, the new citizens walked out into the noonday sun as Americans.

The End, but the story continues!

The Oath Ceremony Part 4: The Oath!

After the Roll Call of Nations, the citizens-to-be raised their right hand and said:

The Oath of Allegiance

I hereby declare, on oath,
that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure
all allegiance and fidelity
to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty
of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;

that I will support and defend the Constitution
and laws of the United States of America
against all enemies, foreign and domestic;

that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;

that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States
when required by the law;

that I will perform noncombatant service
in the Armed Forces of the United States
when required by the law;

that I will perform work of national importance
under civilian direction
when required by the law;

and that I take this obligation freely
without any mental reservation
or purpose of evasion;

so help me God.

The Oath Ceremony Part 3: Voter Registration

In March 2008, the USCIS changed their policy about giving voter registration forms to citizens-to-be before the Oath Ceremony.

The USCIS said that the county voting officials must wait until the very end of the Oath Ceremony to give voter registration forms to new citizens.

Why? Before the Oath Ceremony, the citizens-to-be are not legally citizens yet and only US citizens can register to vote.

After the change in March 2008, voter registration dropped by about 80 percent. After the Oath Ceremony, many new citizens didn't take the time to register to vote because they were in a hurry to return to work or to celebrate with friends and families.

The San Jose Mercury News (07/19/08) reported the huge drop in voter registration. The USCIS decided to change its policy to allow county voting officials to give voter registration forms to citizens-to-be. They can now fill-out the voter registration cards while waiting for the Oath Ceremony to begin.

Why? Because voting is the most important right and responsibility of a US citizen. The USCIS wants to help new citizens to vote in the upcoming presidential election and all following elections.

So, at the Thursday August 14 Oath Ceremony, citizens-to-be found voter registration cards in their seats. Some citizen-to-be filled the cards out immediately.


Before the actual Oath Ceremony began, officials from the Santa Clara County of Voters spoke in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog--the official "ballot languages" of Santa Clara County. The speakers gave brief instructions about how to fill out the registration card.

Polling places in Santa Clara county are identified in five languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.

A voter can fill-out a Preferred Language Survey at the polling place to receive voting info in his or her chosen language.

After the ceremony, the new citizens mobbed the voting officials to hand in their voter registration forms--it was so inspiring!


Kudos to the SJ Mercury News for reporting this story and to the USCIS and Santa Clara County Registar of Voters for immediately addressing and fixing this problem.

To be continued!

The Oath Ceremony Part 2: Countdown!

FINALLY, the doors opened and the citizens-to-be came in.

The first person that the citizens-to-be met was the SF Bay Area USCIS Community Relations Officer, Lucee Rosemarie Fan. She was happily directing people to their seats.


I would expect that such an important government official would assign such a humble task to someone else. I looked around and saw other USCIS officers, supervisors, and directors helping the citizens-to-be with the same pride, respect, and efficiency. The USCIS employees "walked" with the citizens-to-be to the very last "step" of the naturalization process.


When the citizens-to-be came to their seats, they found important US Citizenship "tools": an American flag, a booklet of the Declaration of Independence & the US Constitution, a Voter's Registration packet, and the Citizen's Almanac.


While they waited for the cermony to begin, the citizens-to-be chatted with their neighbors, listened to patriotic music, and read their Almanacs. I was happy to see another student from Milpitas, Shu-Wen Chang.


There were many small children in the visitor's gallery. Parents used the long wait to tell their children stories about the flag, George Washington, and coming to America.


More people came and the hall started to fill up. Finally the hall was filled--we were read to begin the Oath Ceremony!


To be continued!

The Oath Ceremony Part 1: Today's the Day!

The USCIS San Jose office usually interviews one thousand people per month. The Novemeber 2008 Presidential election, combined with the July 2007 USCIS price rise, inspired thousand of permanent residents to apply for citizenship. During Spring and Summer 2008, the San Jose office was interviewing close to 3500 people per month!

By mid-August 2008, so many people have passed their Citizenship interviews, that the USCIS arranged to hold the Oath Ceremony at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds (a very large and convient location), instead of the smaller Campbell Heritage Theater.

Today's goal: US Citizenship for over 5000 people in morning and afternoon ceremony---WELCOME!

The ceremony was scheduled to begin at 10:30am. Because there was such a HUGE traffic jam before the previous ceremony, I decided to arrive at 8am. I easily found the "Citizen-to-be" line and followed to the beginning. who was in front of the line? Mr and Mrs Nakrani--they got there at 6:30am!


I followed the "Citizen-to-be" line to the end and found two more students, Xaiken and Thai, with their son.


As we waited, Hoanh and her husband came. She passed her interview over 30 months ago and FINALLY got her letter for the Oath Ceremony.


No sooner than saying "Hello!" a USCIS representative came by and checked the Citizens-to-be Oath Ceremony letter and paperwork.


The USCIS representative directed us "guests" to another line. Good-bye Citizens-to-be, Hello New Citizens!

To be continued...

USAJOBS.gov

Let's work together to keep America strong!

USCIS 96:92 91. Name one benefit of being a citizen of the United States.

To obtain Federal government jobs, to travel with a U.S. passport, or to petition for close relatives to come to the United States to live.

This week, we have reviewed some of the government departments that work together to protect Americans right to travel (DHS, USCIS, Border Patrol, Customs, ICE, TSA, and the State Dept Travel). These government agencies are constantly looking for qualified workers.

US citizenship is the first qualification for federal job. In order to obtain a federal job, a citizen must apply for a federal job.

The second step towards obtaining a federal job, is creating an account at USAJOBS: the official job site of the federal government. At USAJOBS, you can search for jobs , apply for jobs, and upload your resume for employers to review.

Because there is so much information of its website, USAJOBS has posted tutorial videos about how to use this site.

Many students apply to work at the Post Office. Here is more info about getting a job with the "travel" departments: DHS, USCIS, ICE, CBP, TSA, State Dept-Travel.

How We Prepared for the Citizenship Interview

New Citizens: Mr & Mrs Champaklal and Savita Nakrani

and their beloved grandson

Here is a detailed account how Mr and Mrs Nakrani (formerly of Gujarat, India) prepared for their Citizenship Interview.

As you can see, Mr. Nakrani, who wrote the account, can communicate in English quite well and he daily coached Mrs Nakrani in English and Civics. Their diligence and patience paid off and they both easily passed the test. More importantly, their intense preparation provided an excellent study model for their young grandson. Congratulations! Direct download: prep.pdf

Today the Nakranis will take the Oath of Citizenship at the Santa Clara County Fairgounds. Congratulations and thank you for helping others to realize their American Dream!

The New US Passport Card

On July 14, 2008, the US Department of State and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that a new US Passport Card is now being distributed.

The new US Passport Card is valid for travel to only between the United States and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

• The new US Passport Card is not valid for travel to other countries (ex: China, India).
  
• The new US Passport Card is valid for international travel for land and sea travel.


• The new US Passport Card is not valid for international travel by air.


• The new US Passport Card is valid "picture identification" (just like a US Passport).


• The new US Passport Card makes crossing the borders faster because it has a special chip.


• The new US Passport Card is cheaper than the US Passport.

TSA: Transportation Security Administration

Before getting on a plane, passengers must show their ID, ticket, & go through a security screening.

The TSA screens passengers, carry-on bags, and luggage to ensure safety for everyone.

The security screening is not done by officers from Customs, Border Patrol, ICE, nor the State Dept Travel.

TSA is part of the Department of Homeland Security (like USCIS, ICE, & CBP).

TSA officers have found some some strange things during security screenings.

To make the security screening go quicker, TSA has a new project: 3-1-1--Three Ounces, One Quart, One Bag

• 3 ounce bottle of liquide or less (by volume)
• 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag
• 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin.

Here is more info on 3-1-1

• 3-1-1 for Carry-ons brochure
• 3-1-1 wallet card
• 3-1-1 brochures in other languages
• SimpliFLY video
• SimpliFLY text

No one likes to go through security screenings, so TSA is constantly trying to improve the security screenings.

• Travellers can leave comments and suggestions at TSA Got Feedback!
• TSA responds publicly to travellers' comments and suggestions on their blog: Evolution of Security.

One of the benefits of the US citizenship is getting a federal job such as working as a TSA officer. For more information, see TSA's posting at USAJOBS.gov.

New Citizen and New Passport

Tammy Chen is a retired elementary school teacher from Taiwan. She immigrated with her husband, Charles, to the United States to live with their daughter and granddaughter.

After living in the United States for five years, Tammy applied for US Citizenship and passed the interview.

Tammy went to Taiwan for the summer to visit her family. While she was in Taiwan, she finally received her letter for the Oath Ceremony--18 months after her Citizenship interview!

Tammy was very happy to receive the letter, but there was a small problem. The Oath Ceremony was on August 6 and she was going on vacation to the Canadian Rockies on August 8. She must have a passport to go to Canada. What should she do?

Tammy called her daughter, Carol, in California. Checking the internet, Carol found out that the US State Department, not the USCIS, issues US passports.

The US State Department does not manage relations between US states, such as California and Nevada. The US State Department manages relations between the United States and other countries, such as the United States and Canada. The Travel Department of the US State Department issues passports for US Citizens and visas for visitors to the United States.

Because Tammy needed a passport quickly, Carol made an appointment for Tammy at the San Francisco Passport Agency.

The San Francisco Passport Agency only serves customers who are traveling, or submitting their passports for foreign visas, within 14 days.

To apply at the Agency, you must schedule an appointment by calling toll-free at 1-877-487-2778, 24 hours/day.

If you are not traveling, or needing to submit your passport for foreign visas within 14 days, you must apply at a Passport Application Acceptance Facility.

On August 8, the day after her Oath Ceremony, Tammy and Carol went to the SFPA for her appointment.

San Francisco Passport Agency
95 Hawthorne Street, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105-3901

Tammy gave the agent her application, fee, and 2 passport photos. The passport agent did not ask her many questions, but only checked her passport application. Then the agent gave Tammy a new passport.

Twenty-seven hours after becoming an American Citizen, Tammy Chen can use her new US Passport to travel to outside of the United States.

Tammy is overjoyed to become a US Citizen and her family is thrilled to go on vacation together. Congratulations and Bon Voyage!

Lost Boy becomes US Citizen!

The San Jose Mercury News is proud to present the story of Simon Kuir Deng, former Lost Boy of Sudan, who has found a new home in San Jose as a US citizen. During this ceremony, my students, Chen Fu Chiu, Wu Wan Jung, and others, also became citizens.

The related article also details the conflict between federal and local voting officials, who allowed people to register to vote immediately before the Oath Ceremony.

CBP: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

CBP: U.S. Customs and Border Protection protects the borders of the United States from terrorism, human and drug smuggling, illegal migration, and agricultural pests. Video.

Every day, CBP welcomes more than 1.1 million international travelers into United States at its land, sea, and air ports!

Border Patrol officers guard US borders. Here is a photo gallery the Border Patrol at work.

When travellers come through US "Customs," they must show their passport to a Customs officer. Here is a photo gallery of Customs Officers working at an airport. Listen to a conversation between a Customs Officer and a woman re-entering the United States.

CBP has information sheets about what a traveller should "Know Before You Go" outside of the United States.

CBP, ICE, USCIS are departments under the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

ICE is the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE enforces immigration & customs laws.

ICE goes to worksites to check if the employees can work in the US legally.

ICE deports illegal aliens.

ICE stops human trafficking.

ICE stops illegal copying & the theft of intellectual property.

ICE is frequently in the news. ICE is sometimes confused with the USCIS.

• ICE and USCIS are two separate departments under the Department of Homeland Security.
• ICE does the law enforcement job of the old INS (USCIS) and Customs departments.
  

USCIS is the US Citizenship and Immigration Service.

• USCIS helps people to immigrate to the US.
• After they fulfill the residency requirement, people can become naturalized US citizens.

USCIS: New "How do I?" Customer Guides

On August 1, 2008, the USCIS published updated "how-to" or FAQs to help people with immigration and naturalization. These guides are available in a .pdf format for easy downloading and printing. Kudos, USCIS!

A- U.S. Citizens
A1- How Do I Help My Relative Become a U.S. Permanent Resident?
A2- How Do I Help My Fiancé(e) Become a U.S. Permanent Resident?
A3- How Do I Immigrate an Adopted or Prospective Adopted Child or Help My Adopted Child Become a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident?
A4- How Do I Get Proof of My U.S. Citizenship?
A5- How Do I Get Information About Requirements for Traveling Abroad?

B- Permanent Residents
B1- How Do I Help My Relative Become a U.S. Permanent Resident?
B2- How Do I Renew or Replace My Permanent Resident Card?
B3- How Do I Apply for U.S. Citizenship?
B4- How Do I Know What My Responsibilities Are?
B5- How Do I Get a Reentry Permit?

C- Nonimmigrants
C1- How Do I Extend My Nonimmigrant Stay in the United States?
C2- How Do I Change to Another Nonimmigrant Status?
C3- How Do I Replace a Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record?

D- Refugees and Asylees
D1- How Do I Help My Relative Get Refugee or Asylee Status in the United States?
D2- How Do I Show My Employer That I Am Authorized to Work in the United States?
D3- How Do I Become a U.S. Permanent Resident?
D4- How Do I Get a Refugee Travel Document?

E- Employers
E1- How Do I Hire a Foreign National for Short-Term Employment in the United States?
E2- How Do I Sponsor an Employee for U.S. Permanent Resident Status?
E3- How Do I Complete Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification?
E4- How Do I Use E-Verify?

F- General Information
F1- How Do I Know What Services Are Available After I File?
F2- How Do I Change My Address With USCIS?
F3- How Do I Financially Sponsor Someone Who Wants to Immigrate?

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT 2008

The "25th Annual National Night Out" (NNO), is a national crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). This year's NNO has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 5, 2008.

National Night Out campaign brings together neighbors, police, civic groups, businesses, and local officials from over 10,000 communities from all over the US and Canada. In all, over 35 million people participated in National Night Out 2007.

The 4 goals of NATIONAL NIGHT OUT are:

• Tell people how to stop crime.


• Support local anti-crime programs.


• Help neighborhoods and police work together.


• Send a message to criminals--We're fighting crime!

Many people show their support for NNO by turning on their porch light, sitting outside for the evening, and chatting with their neighbors and patrol officers.

San Jose and Milpitas will have several NNO events. To find a NNO event in your neighborhood, vist National Night Night.

CBS: Craig Ferguson's Citizenship Test

January 29, 2008: Enjoy this funny (but true) video of Craig Ferguson, formerly of Scotland (and currently the host of the CBS Late Late Show) as he takes and passes his official U.S. citizenship test. Good job, Craig!

Deportation

N-400 Part 10 Section E #25 asks "Are there any removal, exclusion or deportation proceedings pending against you?"

During the Citizenship interview, this question is usually asked: "Have you ever been deported?"

Here are three stories about deportation:

Simple English News 06/25/07: A Politician Could Be Deported Article & Audio

NYTimes o8/03/08: Immigrants Deported by U.S. Hospitals Article Video

NYTimes 07/11/08: An Interpreter Speaking Up for Migrants Article & Video

LOC.gov: Interviews with Today's Immigrants

As part of online exhibit: Immigration...The Changing Face of America, the Library of Congess has collected Interviews of Today's Immigrants conducted by students and teachers. The interviews are organized by geographic region, and list the name of the interviewer, the interviewee, relationship, age at immigration, year of immigration, and port of entry. Each story is fascintating, heartbreaking, and inspirational.

While you are at the LOC website, checkout the other Library of Congress Digital Collections featuring photos, videos, music, audio clips, and essays on thousands of topics.

Did you know that the original Library of Congress was destroyed when the British burned down Washington DC during the War of 1812?

Less than a day after the attack began, a hurricane which included a tornado passed through Washington DC, damaging the British navy and putting out the fires in the capital. A week later, the British attacked Fort McHenry (between Washington DC and Baltimore), inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. The retired President Thomas Jefferson donated his personal library to re-establish the Library of Congress.

Our Advice

On the last day of Summer School, the US Citizenship class went to Pho Nguyen to celebrate the successful "PASS!" of one of our fella students, Diem. We also congratulated the students who had already passed their interview, and encouraged our fellow soon-to-be-citizens. Our advice:

Study hard before the interview.

Stay calm during the interview.

Celebrate your success!