The New Americans.

• Author: Morse, Ann

States have started programs to help immigrants become citizens, and many of these new Americans know more about civics than the natives.

I've always wanted to become an American," says a 103-year-old chinese immigrant who passed her English and civics exam after studying in the Illinois naturalization program (The oldest immigrant to pass, she was given the oath of citizenship with her 85-year-old son.)

The number of applications for U.S. citizenship is astonishing: Traditionally in the range of 200,000 per year, they have soared during the 1990s. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) reviewed 1.2 million applications in 1999, and the oath of naturalization was administered to nearly 900,000 new Americans.

A confluence of factors has contributed to the increase: More than 3 million undocumented immigrants with long-term U.S. residence were given amnesty in 1986 and became eligible to apply for citizenship. An INS program to require immigrants to replace their green cards with new fraud-resistant cards, accompanied by fees comparable to naturalization, encouraged immigrants to take the extra step of naturalization. And finally, anti-immigrant provisions in the 1996 federal welfare law and california's Proposition 187 seem to have awakened noncitizens to their potentially precarious position in American society.

About a dozen state legislatures have stepped forward to encourage and support the aspirations of immigrants to become U.S. citizens. The Massachusetts legislature passed a three-year, $2 million initiative with overwhelming support in 1997 to fund a Citizenship Assistance Program for immigrant residents. The program matches state funds with contributions from private organizations,-foundations and federal agencies. A statewide network of more than 100 community-based organizations provides English and civics classes as well as assistance with citizenship applications. More than 18,000 Massachusetts residents have used the program, and to date 4,300 immigrants have pledged their allegiance as new citizens of the United States. The target population includes the elderly and disabled, prompting innovative strategies such as conversation circles, stress-reduction techniques and a mix of audiotapes, flash cards and special interview curricula. When asked their reasons for becoming U.S. citizens, most immigrants in the program say that they want to vote and help their community. Students participate in Immigrant's Day to...