[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 79 (Wednesday, June 17, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1154-E1155]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  FOURTH ANNUAL CITIZENSHIP DAY EVENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 17, 1998

  Mr. GREEN. Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, on June 13, my staff and I 
hosted our Fourth Annual Citizenship Day Event. This is a one-stop 
application processing opportunity for residents who wish to become 
U.S. citizens.
  With the help of local volunteers, elected officials, and community-
based organizations, we were able to help 350 residents take their 
first step to becoming a U.S. citizen.
  The Citizenship Day process consists of completing INS forms, taking 
photographs, and having attorneys and INS representatives review the 
application. Upon completing this process, the application is 
photocopied for the applicant and immediately mailed to INS.
  Every year, I am amazed at the number of people who attend this 
event. While some of us tend to take for granted that we live in a 
great country, others wait in line all night long simply to submit an 
application to become a U.S. citizen.
  Although an event like this takes many months of coordinating and 
planning, the rewards are remarkable. Not only does it provide a 
service to our community, but it also increases awareness among legal 
residents about the importance of becoming a citizen. Moreover, it's 
encouraging to see volunteers return every year to contribute their 
time and effort.
  I am extremely thankful of the following volunteers, groups and 
organizations who assisted in making this event possible:

       Houston Community College, Northeast Campus; Harris County 
     Constable, Victor Trevino; Immigration and Naturalization 
     Service; United States Postal Service; Houston Industries; 
     League of United Latin American Citizens; National 
     Association of Latino Elected Officials; Hispanic Women in 
     Leadership; Rio Posada Restaurant; Fiesta Mart, Inc.; 
     Hispanic Organization of Postal Employees; Houston Coca Cola 
     Bottling Co.; Pizza Hut; Chase Bank; Telemundo, Channel 48; 
     Univision, Channel 45; College Democrats @ University of 
     Houston; Quan, Burdette & Perez, Attorneys at Law; Esther 
     Alaniz; Alicia Almendariz; David Airhart; Artie Blanco; Delia 
     Barajas; Debra Barnes; Yasmine Cadena; Mary Closner; Mitchell 
     Contreras; Romero Cruz; Hector De Leon; Anselmo Davila; 
     Armando Entenza; Arthur Flores; Charles Flores; Dr. Margaret 
     Ford; Celia Garcia; Cyndi Garza; Juan Garcia; Rosa Garcia; 
     Reynaldo Garza; Victor Gonzalez; Juana Gonzalez; Priscilla 
     Gonzalez; Manuel Gonzalez; Mary Guerrero; Rebecca Guerrero; 
     Joe Granados; Ben D. Huynh; Ana Maria Lopez; Dorothy Ledezma; 
     Alfred Martinez; John Martinez; Benny Martinez; Margaret 
     Mata; Edward Melendez; Josephine Mendoza; John Meyer; Diana 
     Morales; Sally Morin; Mercedes Nassar; Janie Munoz; Frances 
     Munoz; Art Murillo; Ana Nunez; Sandra M. Orellana; Juan 
     Padilla; Cesar De Paz; Richard Perez; Candy Perez; Andre 
     Rodriguez; Jesse P. Ramirez; Francisco Rodriguez; Mayor 
     Cipriano Romero; Juana Rosales; Rosa Ruelas; Yeannett 
     Salazar; Thomas Sanchez; Olga Soliz; Diana Trevino; Marco 
     Torres; Vera Vasquez; Suzanne Villareal; Patricia Valdez; 
     Ralph Vasquez; and Shahid Waheed.


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