Guest Blog Post: Emilio Camacho, The Meaning of a Naturalization Certificate

A few days ago, I officially became a Citizen of the United States of America. This was one of the happiest days of my life; it was the culmination of a long and expensive journey. This journey, however, is no longer available for countless people because immigration laws have become unquestionably exclusionary. In essence, this means that going to “the back of the line” is no longer possible because restrictionist immigration policies have eliminated these lines for millions of people across the nation.

Being one of the privileged few, I spent over five years standing in immigration lines; dealing with unfriendly bureaucratic processes and people; enduring several background checks; undergoing numerous fingerprinting checks; interviewing with immigration officials on several occasions; and paying substantial fees to the government and representation throughout the process. I witness firsthand how my education made this process somewhat easier for me, but much more complicated for others who lacked English, education and “immigration legal language.”

There are many good things I can say about the meaning of Citizenship. However, a better way to understand what it means to others and me is to analyze the preclusions that come without it. This is something that policymakers and judges with great power seldom have endured.

Without Citizenship, even though I was legally permitted to reside and work in the “beacon of democracy,” I was unable to vote. Although I was a law-abiding Citizen, performed community service, remained informed in politics and policy, and cared about shaping my community in positive ways, I could not participate in the democratic process. Ironically, I often contributed to our democracy by informing my community and those with the ability to vote about candidates and measures due to the unfriendly language of ballot measures.

Without Citizenship, even though I paid my fair share of taxes, I was ineligible for some of the social benefits and programs that Citizens, regardless of contribution, are automatically entitled.

Without Citizenship, I was not afforded critical opportunities to advance my career even if I was qualified and talented. For example, I was not eligible to apply for internships or jobs at the White House, the Central intelligence Agency, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Environmental Protective Office, among other excellent opportunities available to my classmates.

Without Citizenship, I was at-risk of being deported and barred from admission even if I had built an entire life in the United States and no longer had strong ties in my country of origin. This meant that all of my potential investments such as financial, education, social networks, and community involvement, were inherently “high-risk” and needed to be made carefully.

More significantly, the combination of all these preclusions made me feel like a second class Citizen. Fortunately, I have now gained the coveted status that so many desire. Looking at my naturalization certificate, I could not help to ponder how a piece of paper will make such a big difference in my life even though I will continue to live and do exactly as I did before I was an official citizen.

Inevitably, I wonder whether our American institutions have become victims of bureaucratic procedure and devalue the quality individuals and their contributions to the community. In the end, I believe the character, commitment, and contributions of an individual should be given more merit than a simple piece of paper with an official seal on it.

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Emilio Camacho is a third year law student at UC Davis School of Law and earned his undergraduate degree from UC Davis.  He was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States.