Freeze on funding to help green card holders get citizenship stirs uncertainty
In a letter first obtained by NBC News, Democratic lawmakers said defunding programs that help immigrants go through the citizenship process will contribute to more immigration and naturalization backlogs.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, or CHIRLA, is one of a number of organizations that serve immigrants by helping lawful permanent residents earn U.S. citizenship.
But those services were jeopardized last month, when the coalition got a notification from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stating that their congressionally approved funding had been put on hold.
The funding freeze meant disruptions to students receiving civics instruction, taking classes to learn English and getting ready for citizenship interviews and exams.
Over a hundred other organizations have also had their services interrupted, with no end in sight.
“It’s not fair,” Karla Aguayo, director of legal services at CHIRLA, told NBC News on Friday.
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