Скачать или смотреть USA: RECORD NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS SPARKS ANTI IMMIGRANT BACKLASH

(13 Nov 1995) Cant/Eng/Nat

The record number of immigrants making their way to the United States has touched off an anti-immigrant backlash.

Angered by the perception that foreigners enter the country illegally and then suck up taxpayer dollars, many Americans are calling for reform of the nation's immigration laws.

Some of those proposed reforms include denying benefits to all non-citizens.

This souring of American sentiment has spurred hundreds of thousands of immigrants to apply for American citizenship, creating a strain on federal agencies that oversee immigrants.

On America's streets, the number of immigrants has swollen to record numbers.

But rather than remaining permanent residents, more are vying to become American citizens.

The federal government has seen a sharp increase in requests for citizenship in the past two years.

SOUNDBITE:
"In '94 nationally there was just under 600-thousand applications and in '95 there were over a million so that is quite a dramatic increase nationally."
SUPER CAPTION: Irena Kipa-Daigle, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service

Advocates for immigrants say many are frightened by proposals put forward by politicians against immigrants.

SOUNDBITE:
"The climate is growing increasingly hostile to newcomers. There are calls for really shutting down our borders, there are calls for significantly limiting the number of immigrants allowed to enter into the country and these calls - these cries - and this massive reexamination of our immigration policy is really creating a climate that feels increasingly hostile."
SUPER CAPTION: Muriel Heiberger, Executive Director, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Group

SOUNDBITE:
"What's going on in Washington is a very narrow minded national immigration policy. They tend to mix up the illegal immigrant, they have a wrong conception of the contribution from the legal residents."
SUPER CAPTION:Chauming Lee, Executive Director, Asian-American Civic Association

Immigrants striving to pass the admissions test must study American history and government.

They also receive a crash course in English, although for many the language barrier is one of the main impediments to seeking citizenship.

Those who choose to become citizens do so for a number of reasons.

SOUNDBITE: (In Cantonese)
"My husband is an American, so I want to be a citizen, too. I like American; America is the country of freedom."
SUPER CAPTION: vox pop

SOUNDBITE: (In Cantonese):
"If I were a citizen, I would have more benefits. And I could bring my parents from China to America."
SUPER CAPTION: vox pop

Immigration officials expect the trend toward seeking citizenship to continue as long as the drumbeat against foreigners continues to whip up nationalist sentiment and the possibility exists for losing government benefits.

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