Immigration major election issue

Independence Day is a huge celebration in Washington, D.C. but just how much do local residents know about what it takes to become a citizen here?

In the Tenleytown neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C., American citizens were asked a series of questions sampled from the one that immigrants seeking citizenship would have to pass.

Matt Garvey, 65, who walked with his wife on Tuesday through the neighborhood and said he studied law, answered questions like, “What ocean borders the west coast of the United States?” Garvey joked the answer was the Adriatic Sea, but ultimately answered all 12 questions correctly.

For educated U.S. citizens like Garvey, the questions may seem easy. But for many immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship, the test is a hurdle in an election season where immigration policy has been front and center for politicians and voters alike.

Powerful political voices like Hillary Clinton believe that this system is outdated and ineffective, “If we claim we are for family, then we have to pull together and resolve the outstanding issues around our broken immigration system,” she said, seen on her campaign website.

The presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump disagrees with Clinton, saying on his website children born to illegal immigrants should not automatically get citizenship status.

Those who are seeking citizenship must pass the United States citizenship test.

First, one must apply for a green card which can prove to be a lengthy process. This grants them permanent residency so long as they don’t violate the law. Green cards are categorized into different types, and a very limited amount from each category are given out yearly.

Once an immigrant receives a green card, they must wait at least five years to gain “permanent resident” status. Once they acquire this status they are eligible to apply for naturalization.

The application process can take at least six months, but it usually spans to a year or more according to the American Immigration Center.

“There’s obviously reform to be made, but you have to be careful about immigration,” said Tom Merrill, 42.

 

 

 

American University students and staff react to SCOTUS abortion ruling

Robert Drinkwater, 31, expressed support for Monday's Supreme Court decision. Photo credit Joseph Ferrari.
Robert Drinkwater, 31, expressed support for Monday’s Supreme Court decision. Photo credit Joseph Ferrari.

American University students and staff reacted on Tuesday to the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on Texas’s restrictive abortion clinic laws.

Anisa Santiago, 21, was raised around pro-life Catholics, but attends American University, which she says tends to be more liberal. Though she doesn’t support abortion, she believes the Texas government shouldn’t have restricted access.

“If the government wants to shut down abortion clinics they need a better reason,” Santiago said.

The Texas bill required all abortion doctors to have admitting privileges to any hospital within 30 miles from their clinic, and  forced all abortion clinics in the state to upgrade to ambulatory surgical centers. The changes forced many clinics to close.

Although Texas officials originally claimed their motive for enacting the restrictive legislation was to ensure the security and safety of women, some aren’t so sure.

“It was a poorly disguised political scam,” said Alex Mazzarisi, 22, an American University graduate. She added, “Abortions should be an option to all women.”

Before this bill was pushed through the Texas legislative system, there were as many as 36 abortion clinics in the state. Today, that number has dwindled down to about 8, according to the group Fund Texas Choice.

After Monday’s Supreme Court ruling, Texas Governor Greg Abbott responded in a press release, saying, “The decision erodes States’ lawmaking authority to safeguard the health and safety of women and subjects more innocent life to being lost. Texas’ goal is to protect innocent life, while ensuring the highest health and safety standards for women.”

Genesis Marte, 19, was convinced that Texas’s measures Abbott defended were “ridiculous.”

“Woman’s body, woman’s choice,” Marte said.

Rob Drinkwater, an AU staff member, agreed.

“They should have the right to choose and rights to their body,” said Drinkwater, 31.