Happy to be legal in America

But, as they become naturalized citizens, many immigrants worry about those here illegally.

By MELANIE AVE, Times Staff Writer
Published September 21, 2007

Margarita Ortega picks up her Certificate of Naturalization after she was sworn in as naturalized citizen at the Tampa Convention Center. Ortega is from the Dominican Republic and now resides in Sarasota.
	[KEN HELLE | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [KEN HELLE | Times] Part of the 300-plus crowd take the oath to become citizens of the United States during the naturalization ceremony at the Tampa Convention Center on Thursday. [KEN HELLE | Times] Uriel Gonzalez picks up his Certificate of Naturalization after he was sworn in as naturalized citizen at the Tampa Convention Center on Thursday. Gonzalez is from Mexico and now resides in Largo.

TAMPA -- They walked into the Tampa Convention Center residents of at least 70 different countries, on the verge of U.S. citizenry.

They carried tiny flags and wore big smiles. But many of their hearts were heavy -- and conflicted -- for the millions like them who chose a different and illegal path to American soil.

I hereby declare, on oath, that I will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America ..., pledged Amilcar Valenzuela, 29, of Winter Haven who moved here from Guatemala when he was 15.

For many of the 646 men, women and teens who became naturalized citizens Thursday, the ceremony marked the end of a decadeslong journey, filled with mounds of paperwork and bureaucratic hoops.

Despite the shared path, their views varied on the recent collapse of a sweeping immigration reform plan designed to legalize the country's estimated 12-million unlawful immigrants and increase border control.

The bill died in the Senate in June, amid criticism that it amounted to amnesty. Since then, authorities have stepped up raids on workplaces that employ illegal immigrants across the country.

... that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law ...

Valenzuela, an industrial painter and student who wore a blue shirt with an American flag sticking out of the pocket, believes people should follow the law.

"If you're going to get your citizenship, you have to work hard for it," he said. But he stopped short of saying illegal immigrants should be deported.

He moved to the United States with his father, mother and three siblings and stayed here under a work visa for years. He received permanent residency when he married in 2001.

His wife, Tammy, snapped his picture in front of a large American flag as he held his certificate of naturalization.

He talked of life in his birth country and the extreme poverty in which many people, including his relatives, live.

"It's hard to say my point of view," he said. "If I stand back and think, we all deserve the right to pursue happiness. We just don't know what people go through."

... that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law ...

Already using his right of free speech, Isidra Espina, 19, of Sarasota had little hesitation when expressing his opinion about the status of illegal immigrants. There should be a way for those who have lived here, worked here and paid taxes here to become citizens, he said. Look at the menial jobs they perform. Look at the buildings they help construct.

And then, he paused.

"It's a great country," Espina said. "I don't like talking bad about it."

Standing nearby was Uriel Gonzalez, 52, a Largo cook who came to the United States from Mexico in 1973 for "better kind of life, a better opportunity."

He found it, and never looked back.

"I feel so happy," he said, wearing a blue suit, red tie and clutching his certificate, which gives him all the rights of a U.S.-born citizen, except one -- the right to be president.

He wishes the same opportunity for the countless men and women who sneak across the border from his home country every year.

"I'd like everyone to get residency," Gonzalez said, expressing disappointment at the immigration bill's failure. "It's not possible. It's too hard for the government."

... that I will take this obligation freely ...

After the ceremony, Belen Molina, 45, filled out an application for a U.S. passport. In 1993, she and her husband Johnny, 43, moved from Venezuela to Lakeland so he could take a job as a computer network administrator.

He's now a company vice president.

Thursday, Mrs. Molina received her citizenship; he will at the next oath ceremony.

Molina said he thought it was a bit "unfair" at first when he considered how millions of illegal immigrants would be granted immediate citizenship under the immigration bill. It has taken his family years to get to that point.

"But on the other hand," he said, "a lot of people work very hard for not a lot of money and they contribute a lot to the economy. There should be some kind of solution but I'm just not sure what."

When relatives ask Molina about immigrating to the United States, he tells them this: "Don't come here illegally. You will have so many doors closed."

... so help me God.

Melanie Ave can be reached at mave@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8813.

FAST FACTS: Where they come from

In Tampa, the top countries of birth are generally Cuba, Mexico and Vietnam. Nationally, the top countries of birth are Mexico, India and Philippines.

Where they go

The states with the largest number of naturalized citizens in 2006:

• California: 152,836
• New York: 103,870
• Florida: 90,486
• New Jersey: 39,801
• Texas: 37,835

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Legal immigration by the numbers

• 7,096: Number of new citizens sworn in last fiscal year in Tampa from the surrounding 11-county district.
• 702,589 Number of new citizens sworn in nationwide in 2006.
• Where they were born: In Tampa, the top countries of birth are generally Cuba, Mexico and Vietnam. Nationally, the top countries of birth are Mexico, India and Philippines.

[Last modified September 21, 2007, 00:08:20]