[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
[August 22, 1996]
[Pages 1330-1331]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Memorandum on Naturalization
August 22, 1996

Memorandum for the Attorney General, Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, and Other Heads of Executive Agencies

Subject: Naturalization

    Citizenship is the cornerstone of full participation in our 
democracy. To become a United States citizen through naturalization 
represents a pledge to undertake the responsibilities of being a full 
member of our national community.
    Naturalization is the best example of our legal immigration system 
at work. It reflects our society's recognition of those who came to this 
country to work hard, play by the rules, and pursue shared ideals of 
freedom, opportunity, and responsibility.
    In the past, hundreds of thousands of eligible people have had to 
wait unnecessarily to become citizens. In some parts of the country, 
these people have had to wait well over a year after filing their 
application to realize their dream of United States citizenship.
    This Administration is committed to eliminating the waiting lists of 
those eligible for citizenship. To accomplish this, we launched 
``Citizenship U.S.A.,'' the most ambitious citizenship effort in 
history. In fiscal year 1996, the Immigration and Naturalization Service 
(INS) will spend more than $165 million for naturalization.
    Citizenship U.S.A. combines three broad strategies: hiring more 
people to handle applications, improving the naturalization process, and 
expanding partnerships with local officials and community organizations.
    We are already making progress. We have increased the staff 235 
percent in the five districts with 75 percent of the pending 
applications: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, and Chicago. 
In Los Angeles, where one-fourth of all new applications are filed, we 
have opened three new processing centers and have more than quadrupled 
the number of INS officers handling citizenship applications.
    But this is just the beginning. This Administration's target is to 
process and swear-in within 6 months of application all individuals 
eligible for citizenship. As we meet this target, more than one million 
newcomers will become citizens by the end of this year. After that, INS 
shall maintain those reforms necessary to stay current with the demand 
of new citizen applicants.
    Using all of the tools at your disposal, I ask you to ensure that 
policies and practices necessary to accomplish these targets of one 
million new citizens sworn-in and the elimination of the waiting list 
are implemented. This includes continuing, expanding or accelerating, as 
appropriate and practicable, the following:
    1) New Hires. Hiring, training, and deployment of full staff to 
assist naturalization efforts should proceed to completion as quickly as 
possible.
    2) Cutting Red Tape. This includes: establishing electronic filing 
and mailing-in of citizenship applications, extended weekday hours and 
Saturday interviews, further expansion of processing facilities, and 
improvements to make it easier

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for people to obtain forms and get immigration information by telephone 
or computer.
    3) Working with Local Officials and Community-Based Groups. We are 
working in partnership with local officials and community groups to 
expand outreach. I direct you to expand these efforts to help get 
naturalization information to people, assist them in filling out 
applications, offer more local sites for interviews, especially for the 
elderly and the homebound, and seek other means to jointly facilitate 
the process. We also will work to expand the availability of local 
hotlines providing naturalization information.
    4) English Training. To assist legal immigrants to move toward 
citizenship, I request relevant agencies to work with the Domestic 
Policy Council, the National Economic Council, and other White House 
offices to present to me by December 30, 1996, a report making 
recommendations with respect to public/private efforts to teach English 
to those needing to improve their English-language skills. This report 
should consider possible roles by private companies, educational 
institutions, unions, community organizations, and the AmeriCorp program 
to accomplish this goal.
    5) Interagency Outreach. I direct each executive department and 
agency to take steps to promote naturalization outreach consistent with 
your agency's mission. In particular, in materials sent to welfare 
recipients concerning eligibility, I direct that, to the extent 
authorized by law, you include naturalization information.
    6) Refugees and Asylees. Those who flee persecution and suffering in 
their home country are often in the weakest position to acquire the 
skills they need to enter the job market, maintain self-sufficiency, and 
achieve U.S. citizenship. I direct the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, in conjunction with other agencies as appropriate, to present 
to me by December 30, 1996, through the Domestic Policy Council, a 
report setting out a strategy of additional steps that we can take to 
promote social adjustment in the United States, economic self-
sufficiency, and naturalization.
    In taking these steps, this Administration shall maintain and 
strengthen the standards and requirements of the naturalization test 
that demonstrate an individual's readiness to accept the 
responsibilities of citizenship and full participation in our national 
community. You are directed to continue vigilant oversight to uphold 
these standards.
    Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking the dream and the 
promise of American citizenship. They have worked to become United 
States citizens, and these steps should ensure that they are not made to 
wait unnecessarily.

                                                      William J. Clinton

Note: This memorandum was released by the Office of the Press Secretary 
on August 23.