How the US citizenship process works — and why it can take decades
New citizens say the Pledge of Allegiance during a Naturalization Ceremony in 2024 at Benjamin Hooks Central Library. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
When Damaris Alvarez was in high school, she discovered something that changed everything she thought she knew about herself.
When Alvarez first started talking to her mother about getting a part-time job, a rite of passage for many teenagers, her mother sat her down for a difficult conversation.
When you were five years old, her mother told her, you were brought into the country illegally from Mexico because it would have taken a decade or longer to bring you here legally.
Because of that, her mom said, you can’t get a job, you can’t get a driver’s license. You need to just keep your head down as much as you can. Be safe. Stay quiet. Don’t talk to anyone about this.
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Jody Callahan
Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.
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