Green Card No Longer Green For Nris

A vocal section of the Republican majority in Congress and an anti-immigrant fervour outside are combining, much to the fear of foreigners. About 1.1 million permanent residents have applied for citizenship in 1996, whereas the highest reached in any one year was 445,000, last year. This surge has, ironically, fed the fears of the anti-immigrant lobby.

According to Rob Koon, spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS), 70,000 people took the vow in September alone that they would no longer owe allegiance to any foreign ruler or potentate when they raised their hands to the American flag in mass ceremonies.

 

Republicans have also accused President Bill Clinton of hurrying up the process of naturalisation so that a heavily Democratic constituency (as immigrant minorities are) would be able to add to his vote bank on November 5, when the presidential polls are held. Administration officials have denied this in Congressional testimony but the mood of a vocal section of the public remains suspicious and unchanged. The issue promises to linger as a bill to amend the fast track policy granting citizenship is already on the cards.

Since 1987, the number of Indians becoming citizens has been rising, Koon said. While the INS could not give an ethnic breakdown for the masses that raised their hands in the solemn ceremony held in various cities across the country this year, anecdotal evidence supports the fact that the number of Indians doing so was the highest ever this year.

Its not just that regulatory changes are in the offing that threaten our rights, said one Indian who had sent in her forms, Its the rising political consciousness among Indians. They now want to express their opinions to make a difference.

Ironically, contrary to the political scenario in 1994, virtually no Indians are running for any seats in Congress this time though the volatile issues of immigration and citizenship are boiling over, particularly in states like California and Texas, two of the ten or so states where Indians live in significant numbers. Peter Mathews, twice defeated candidate for the House from the 38th district in California, is, however, expected to persist in his efforts.

Others, like Neil Dhillon from Maryland, and Ram Uppuluri from Tennessee, gave up after their first defeat in what was a countrywide Republican landslide in 1994. Even Kumar Barve, two-term representative in Maryland assembly withdrew his candidature.

From attacks on illegal immigrants, conservatives have moved to cutback rights of legal immigrants. For instance, senior permanent citizens or those that have not become citizens despite being able to, can now lose their benefits and get no welfare if they are in trouble. Clinton made a Faustian compromise by agreeing to this clause in a bill that he felt he had to sign on the eve of an election that he wants to win so badly. Though he promised he would later change the clause relating to legal immigrants in a bill to end welfare as we know it, analysts doubt this would be done.

Two senior officials of Clintons administration have resigned in disgust and many Democrats are disillusioned with the President dotting the new Welfare Bill, but the lure of getting back a Democrat majority in Congress is too great to pass up.