Just Work: Red Tape is Blocking My Path to the Voting Booth

In the fall, my youngest daughter will enter college, and she will do something that I may never do: she will vote for the next president of the United States.

In the past ten years, I have submitted two citizenship applications, written dozens of follow-up letters, and made numerous office visits. Yet despite following the rules to the letter of the law, my citizenship application is still "pending FBI background checks." According to my daily paper, more than 300,000 legal permanent residents are caught in the same snarl of government red tape. Despite dotting every "i" and crossing every "t," it looks like I will have to sit on the sidelines of yet another election season.

This is a hard pill to swallow since by almost any definition you could say that I am an upstanding resident of this country. I'm an Italian by birth, but after more than 22 years of making my life here, I want to become an American citizen. I've raised a family, bought a home in the Bronx, and built my career as a cook at nursing home. I pay my taxes every year and I am a law abiding resident.

No one could say that I haven't tried hard to navigate the bureaucracy. I started back in 1996. Then I thought that if I did all the paperwork correctly and made high marks on the English language and U.S. civics tests, I might naturalize in time to vote for Bill Clinton. Flash forward twelve years: a second citizenship application later, a shift in the entire federal immigration department, another Clinton running for president, and I'm still considered an "alien" in the place I call home.

With the help of the 1199SEIU Citizenship Program I submitted another citizenship application, and passed my second citizenship exam on May 4, 2004. Since then, I've been interviewed by an immigration officer and I've paid hundreds of dollars in application fees. For a time I was going into the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) center every couple of weeks to talk to the officer at the counter. But every time I would be told, "Sorry, there is nothing that I can do. It says here that your application is still pending an FBI background check."

I've been to an attorney. He told me that I would definitely win any case I waged against the government, but that it would cost me $10,000-$20,000 -- money I do not have. Even when I've involved my senators and Congressmen, I find myself at the same dead end.

Now, let me be clear: I am a strong believer that the U.S. government has a right to know everything about the people it chooses to grant citizenship to. That's why I've offered my full cooperation. The problem is I haven't received a response. And think that might be because my application has slipped through the cracks.

I am sharing my story with the hope that all my time and efforts will someday lead me to a naturalization ceremony and a voting booth. But I'm also sharing because this bureaucratic maze affects all of us. If I truly were a threat to this country, security hawks should be alarmed that the FBI has been conducting my background check for more than five years. It not only shouldn't take this long, it can't take this long if we are going to succeed at keeping this country safe.

While my family and friends -- including those I encouraged to apply for U.S. citizenship years ago -- discuss their vote for president this year, I feel defeated. Lawful permanent residents like me work hard, pay taxes, and love our chosen country. We deserve a fair chance to become full U.S. citizens and participate in civic life. But today, the only ones paying for the federal government's neglect are the hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants who, like me, await the end of an FBI background check that may have not yet even begun.

Comments

[BMSstudy]

Good Luck.

[Citizenofreality]

Good luck Mr. Martinelli, I'll keep you on my list of people to think positive thoughts for. Although my father's family came over on the Mayflower, my mother was a naturalized citizen. People who have never gone through the process don't realize how rigorous it can be. By the time my mother had completed all her classes I think it would be safe to say that she knew more about American history and civics than I did.

[GnitenGoodLk]

I loved your post. Thank you. The need to educate people on why we need immigration reform is beautifully summed up here.

There are millions of people, Italian, Irish, Asian, Spanish, European who are trapped in this limbo. Hard working, strong, incredible people such as yourself we should feel honored to have. Soldiers still waiting for their citizenship, even after some have fallen.

We need to fix things at home before we can fix what's wrong with the world.

[lynnn]

Thank you for posting this. Sadly most Americans know know nothing about the immigration system or how it is truly broken (not to mention detention facilities). hopefully you can get a local law professor to take your case (for free).

[Spookcatcher]

Welcome to the "good ole USA". The model of democracy, freedom, and justice for all, and most importantly the best Federal Justice system in the world. Thanks for the tax dollars and don't call us we'll call you, when we're ready...
(But don't take it too hard, the Presidential elections aren't everything they are cracked up to be, in case you haven't noticed)