Local News

‘Overwhelming surge’ of immigrants are applying for citizenship

Citizenship candidates observe the pledge of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

Partly spurred by the looming possibility of President Donald Trump, eligible immigrants in Boston are increasingly applying for U.S. citizenship, The Boston Globe reports.

Massachusetts saw almost 8,000 in citizenship applications from January to March, a 30 percent increase from the previous quarter, according to the Globe. That local bump correlated closely with a 34 percent increase over the same period of time across the country, too.

Why the spike? Local advocacy groups said applications are up because of a potential Donald Trump presidency as well as increased outreach locally.

“It’s been an overwhelming surge,” Veronica Serrato, executive director of the nonprofit Project Citizenship in Boston, told the Globe. “I assumed that it was the aftermath of our publicity. But at some point, it was something else.”

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You can read the full story at The Boston Globe.

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