[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2537-E2538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCING THE KENDELL FREDERICK CITIZENSHIP ASSISTANCE ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Kendell 
Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act of 2005, legislation honoring one 
of America's fallen heroes who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. 
Army Reserve Specialist Kendell Frederick's life may have been spared 
had he not made a fateful trip to provide his fingerprints for his 
citizenship application.
  This bill would lessen the burden non-citizens serving in the U.S. 
military encounter while attempting to navigate a naturalization 
process that is all too often fraught with inefficiency and 
indifference.
  Amidst car bombs and insurgent attacks, Specialist Frederick of 
Randallstown, Maryland, had a dual struggle of fighting the enemy in 
Iraq and the requirements for U.S. citizenship. All the while, his 
mother endured both the stress of having a child in a combat zone and 
the frustration of trying to assist her son meet the bureaucratic 
demands of naturalization.
  Eventually, only one obstacle remained in Specialist Frederick's 
path-providing the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services with 
his fingerprints.
  Although the U.S. Military already had a copy, Specialist Frederick 
was required to travel through the battlefields of Iraq in order to 
provide a duplicate. Tragically, he did not survive this final journey 
and was awarded his citizenship posthumously.
  Last month, Kendell Frederick achieved in death in a matter of 
minutes what he had so long fought to obtain in life, his U.S. 
citizenship. Tragically, he never enjoyed the privileges of U.S. 
citizenship--he would never cast a vote to determine those who govern, 
nor would he ever know the comfort of being fully embraced as an 
American by the very Nation he defended to his last breathe.
  Fortunately, today we have an opportunity to honor the ultimate 
sacrifice of Specialist Frederick by doing what is right for the 
approximately 40,000 non-citizens who are serving on active duty in the 
U.S. military, including 3,200 brave men and women who are serving in 
Afghanistan and Iraq.
  In 2002, President Bush signed an executive order that provides 
immediate eligibility for naturalization to active-duty members of the 
U.S. military during a period of military hostility, bypassing the 
waiting period that otherwise would apply to them. This was an 
important step--but we owe our brave soldiers more.
  In clear and plain terms, those who are prepared to sacrifice and die 
for this country deserve a more efficient, common sense naturalization 
process that bestows to them the admiration and benefits of American 
citizenship befitting their service. For these reasons, Senator Barbara 
Mikulski and I have sponsored the Kendell Frederick Citizenship 
Assistance Act of 2005.
  Our proposed legislation would require that the Secretary of Homeland 
Security use the fingerprints provided by soldiers at the time they 
enlist in the Armed Forces to satisfy the fingerprinting requirements 
associated with their applications for citizenship.
  New soldiers would be notified in writing about how to obtain 
citizenship; and the Secretary of Homeland Security would be required 
to update the appropriate application, guidebook, and Web site 
maintained by the Department of Homeland Security within 30 days of a 
change to law or regulation regarding the naturalization process.

[[Page E2538]]

  Moreover, our bill would establish the position of Citizenship 
Advocate at each military entry processing station to provide 
information on the naturalization process to members of the armed 
forces.
  Finally, we would also require the Government Accountability Office, 
GAO, to study the implementation of this act, including an evaluation 
of how technology may be used to improve the efficiency of the 
naturalization process for members of the armed forces. The GAO would 
then report to Congress its findings and recommendations.
  Our bill emphasizes common sense over bureaucratic thinking and 
clarity over confusion, to establish a naturalization process that is 
more soldier-friendly and efficient.
  Given the life-or-death battles soldiers like Specialist Kendell 
Frederick routinely face on foreign soil; let us never forget they need 
not battle red tape here at home. Support our troops by supporting this 
legislation.

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