Law Assists Military Personnel to Obtain U.S. Citizenship Faster
Posted Mar 21, 2008
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The Office of U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) has recently announced that both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives have approved the Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act (S. 2516). This legislation was originally introduced by Senator Mikulski and Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD). The President has not yet signed the bill, as needed for it to become law. It is expected that it will be signed by President Bush any day. Once signed, the new law will assist members of the U.S. Armed Forces to obtain U.S. citizenship more quickly. General guidance on citizenship requirements for military personnel is described in our August 10, 2007 MurthyBulletin article, Naturalization Procedures for Members of the Military, available on MurthyDotCom.
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History of the Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act
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U.S. Army Spc. Kendell Frederick was a resident of Randallstown, Maryland, and a citizen of Trinidad. He had applied for naturalization while serving on active duty in Iraq. His naturalization application was slowed as the result of multiple delays due to miscommunication with the USCIS. In October 2005, he was required to submit his fingerprints at a remote base, as part of the naturalization process. While en route for the fingerprinting process, the Army Specialist was killed by a roadside bomb. He was posthumously granted citizenship a week after his death.
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Purpose of the Act
In order to expedite adjudication of citizenship applications filed by military personnel, the new law directs the USCIS to accept biometrics information submitted by applicants at the time of enlistment. Fingerprints received at the time of enlistment should comply with the naturalization biometrics requirements. It is also noted that the new procedures should not jeopardize security measures normally associated with the naturalization process. This law would avoid the need for additional biometrics from one currently serving in the U.S. military or on active duty with the military.
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Conclusion
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It indeed is unfortunate that Kendell Frederick lost his life to obtain his U.S. citizenship. The American Immigration Law Foundation (AILF) honored him posthumously at the AILF Immigrant Achievement Awards in March 2007 in Washington, D.C. His mother was in attendance and gave a moving and glowing tribute, speaking of her son and his death. Her commitment and passion helped see to that this law was passed. We at the Murthy Law Firm commend Senator Mikulski and Congressman Cummings for their efforts in helping with the naturalization application procedures for military personnel.
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