The United States government agency that oversees immigration has changed its mission statement. The new version no longer describes the U.S. as a “nation of immigrants.”
The new mission statement says: “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.” (read more) LISTEN
Stricter enforcement of U.S. immigration law has created uncertainty for migrants who have been living in the United States for many years, despite having entered the country illegally. Mike O’Sullivan reports from Los Angeles that a widespread crackdown and recent workplace raids have prompted some to seek legal advice. Originally published at - https://www.voanews.com/a/crackdown-sparks-fear-immigrant-communities/4269194.html
Happy New Year! Today, I interview my fellow teacher, Hongyan, who is preparing for her Citizenship Interview.
After the interview, Teacher Hongyan, shares with us some tips about studying English and her volunteer work at our local library in which she and a mothers' group organize a monthly Chinese story hour for children.
SI.edu: Preparing for the Oath A joint resource of the Smithsonian National American History Museum and the USCIS. A collection of mini-videos, activities, and quizzes for each of the 100 question. BEST! RESOURCE! EVER! The Presidency
VOANews: US Students Blame Politicians for Continued School Shootings Students of the Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people in a mass shooting on Valentine's Day (February 14) vow they will not stay quiet in the face of continuing danger from guns. One of them, Emma Gonzalez, has become the face of a student revolt against lax U.S. gun laws after she condemned the politicians, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who have accepted campaign contributions from the National Rifle Association.VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports. Originally published at - https://www.voanews.com/a/4260497.html
The White House is signaling it is open to expanded background checks on potential gun buyers. The statement comes as pressure builds for Washington to address gun violence following last week's shooting at a Florida high school, where 17 people were killed. VOA's Bill Gallo reports
Originally published at - https://www.voanews.com/a/4262002.html
If you have an opinion about the budget, immigration, DACA, gun control, or any other topic, you can contact your representative by phone or email via Senate.govor House.gov.
Frequently, the website will ask about yourZip + 4, which is your zip code plus your route number, which you can find by following the link to USPS.com and entering your street address
Susan B. Anthony, 1820-1906: She Led the Fight to Gain Equal Rights for Women, Including the Right to Vote
Susan B. Anthony was born in Massachusetts on February 15, 1820. She is known for campaigning for the right of women to vote. She spoke out publicly against slavery and for equal treatment of women in the workplace.
In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony died 14 years before the adoption of the 19th Amendment, but it was still widely known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.
In 1979, she became the first woman whose image appeared on a circulating U.S. coin. The coin is called the Susan B. Anthony dollarand is worth one dollar. (source: USCIS M-638)
Happy African-American History Month!
During the month of February, US Citizenship Podcast explores the connection between the African American History and the USCIS Citizenship Interview
15 USCIS History Questions in Honor of African-American History Month
The U.S. Congress has approved spending bill and two year budget agreement which has been signed by President Donald Trump, ending a brief government shutdown. The deal ended weeks of uncertainty as well as Democratic hopes of linking passage of the budget with a solution for 1.8 million undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. VOA congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports on the immigration fight ahead on Capitol Hill.
Originally published at https://www.voanews.com/a/congress-budget-dreamers/4246765.html
This mock Citizenship interview was inspired by “Holding the Bag," a high beginning ESL novel about an Ethiopian-American cab driver in Washington DC.
Negasi is a Washington DC taxi driver from Ethiopia who has been in the U.S. for many years and has a family. He accidentally becomes involved in a robbery and faces a moral issue.
You can order "Holding the Bag" by Ana Gianola or "Citizenship Passing the Test" by Lynn Weintraub from NewReadersPress.com. “Holding the Bag” (a high beginning ESL novel) by Ana Gianola, 978-1-56420-544-5.
This three book series contains complete citizenship test preparation for anyone wanting to become a U.S. citizen, especially those at the lowest reading level. The Civics and Literacy book cover all the 100 questions in a simple, easy-to-understand format while our Ready for the Interview book is updated to reflect the new changes on the N-400 form and green card.
Thanks to NewReadersPress.comfor their outstanding ESL/Citizenship resources.
More about "Holding the Bag"
From July 5-July 21, 2017, I taught a combined ESL 2 and 3 class at Milpitas Adult School. We took this opportunity to study ESL/Citizenship and read "Holding the Bag," an ESL novel set in Washington DC that had many opportunities to study for the Citizenship interview. During our class, I posted daily audio files, videos, and online Citizenship activities related to each chapter of the book. After the class ended, we continued to post EdPuzzles of the VOA Learning English Presidents videos to our class website, MilpitasChat.com.
Since this three-week summer school class ended, I am proud to announce that four students have since U.S. citizens--students who would normally not qualify for Citizenship class because of their low literacy level. Why did they pass? Because they had a goal: to become a U.S. citizen. To achieve their goal, they continued to study Citizenship and practice speaking English a little bit every day, inside and outside of the classroom.
Before we end the show, I would like to give you a heads up about the upcoming congressional budget which is centered around DACA and US immigration policy.
DACA is Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This is an American immigration policy that allows some individuals who entered the country as minors, to live, work, and go to school in the United States with out fear of deportation.
Last September, the Trump administration tried to end the DACA program. In January 2018, a federal judge said that USCIS must continue to renew DACA applications. On Jan 19, the US government shutdown for two days over a stalemate on DACA. At that time, Congress voted to defer a decison about DACA for three weeks. The deadline is coming up this week, on Feb 15. congress has still been unable to make a decision about DACA.
Although a government shutdown does not affect USCIS citizenship services, take this is your opportunity to make your voice heard. Contact your federal representatives by phone or email via Senate.gov or House.gov. You can also write or call the President https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/write-or-call/ The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 202-456-1111
Write, record, tweet, or post a simple message such as: "I support DACA" For more info, watch or listen to our Jan 21, 2018 podcast
