Montgomery County will host a free legal clinic Saturday for residents who are in the country lawfully and who may be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship.
At a news conference Monday morning, Montgomery County Council President Natali Fani-González, a naturalized citizen herself, described her experience.
“I was very nervous throughout the whole process,” Fani-González said. “Not just during the time of presenting the application, but through the interview, doing the test,” she said.
Saturday’s clinic has already been booked up, but officials at Monday’s news conference announcing the clinic made clear it’s not a one-time event.
A waiting list is being compiled for people who would like to attend similar clinics in the future, according to Sonia Lin, legal director with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, who called the naturalization process “truly a life-changing journey.”
In Maryland, there are an estimated 150,000 people who would be eligible for citizenship, Lin said.
“Many, however, have concerns about the complexity of the process,” she said. “They don’t know how they can access affordable” assistance, and that can be a real barrier for many eligible residents.
Lin’s office, the Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships, the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center and the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center are sponsoring the clinic Saturday.
The event will include screenings for eligibility with pro-bono legal assistance from the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center. Naznin Saifi, executive director of the center, stressed that Saturday’s clinic is “really the first step” in the process toward applying for citizenship. But the clinic is an important step, and she said each attendee would undergo a thorough screening process “to make sure there are no barriers to becoming a U.S. citizen.”
Some immigrants working toward their citizenship might have concerns about attending the session, given the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Maryland and the public nature of the event.
“We’ve already passed the TRUST Act,” Fani-González said, referring to the county law that requires ICE officials to have a signed order from a judge to access the county facility where the clinic will be held.
“Don’t let fear be an obstacle,” she said.
Anyone interested in future workshops and clinics can get in touch with the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center, which also has resources for those on the path to citizenship.