Workshop to help residents with green cards

If you are among 1.9 million legal permanent residents in the United States whose green cards don't have an expiration date, it may be time to replace them or think of filing for citizenship.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services announced in late August it proposes to make renewal mandatory for those residents, unleashing a barrage of criticism from immigrants rights advocates.

Though the proposal has not been adopted, a final ruling is expected any day.

"Once it's announced, you need to renew within 120 days," said Marilou Cabrera, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Chicago region spokeswoman. "If they don't apply within that 120 days, then we can't guarantee that their current card will be valid. Certainly, that's going to be a hassle for them, if they choose to leave the country."

The new rule would affect anyone granted residency between 1977 and 1989. Authorities are relying on community organizations and ethnic and mainstream media outlets to get the word out.

Advocates say these residents shouldn't wait, as there might be legal ramifications if they miss the filing period or have complications, such as a police record for traffic violations and misdemeanors.

Workshops are planned Saturday and Sunday in Cicero, Round Lake and Waukegan to help affected permanent residents.

Government officials anticipate 750,000 people nationwide will apply to renew their cards. Tens of thousands of Chicago-area immigrants may be affected

A majority of those affected got residency through an amnesty program in the late 1980s. At the time, Illinois, particularly Lake and McHenry counties, attracted a lot of agricultural workers from Mexico, said Margaret Carrasco, Waukegan chapter president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Renewal may get sticky for anyone who has a police record. Immigration attorneys will be on hand this weekend to evaluate cases and advise applicants of any potential problems that might arise.

Legal permanent residents could be deported if convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, said Gail Montenegro, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of Chicago.

Immigrant advocates fear people with arrest records, regardless of conviction, may face deportation. They worry multiple traffic violations such as driving under the influence or driving without a license could red-flag a person to immigration officials.

One way to avoid that is for permanent residents to become citizens, said Fred Tsao, policy director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Anyone with a green card for more than five years is eligible to apply.

"For those folks who are as clean as a whistle and don't have any blemishes on their records whatsoever, they may want to think about spending just a few hundred dollars more to get their citizenship," Tsao said. "They may even get some waivers out of the citizenship tests and some of the language requirements, if they've had their green cards long enough or are old enough."

Authorities say the main impetus for the rule change is to issue more secure green cards, conduct background checks and update and electronically store applicants' fingerprints and photographs.

The new green cards are valid for 10 years. They are more technologically advanced with features such as a hologram, are tamper-resistant and are harder to falsify.

The weekend workshops target the Latino community, but immigrants from all ethnic backgrounds will be served, said Julie Santos, co-chair for United Voices for United Families Campaign, a national movement advocating for mixed-status families.

"Right now, our outreach does not extend beyond the Latino community," Santos said. "We've offered this in English and Spanish. The doors are open to anyone."

Green card renewals

Legal permanent residents with green cards that don't have expiration dates will need to replace them once a new U.S. government rule goes into effect. Workshops to help with renewal applications will be held this weekend.

If you go

• Workshops will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Round Lake Sports Center, 2400 Municipal Way, Round Lake; 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the League of United Latin American Citizens Waukegan chapter office, 25 N. County, Waukegan; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at the League of United Latin American Citizens of Cicero, 2135 S. Laramie.

• Bilingual volunteers and attorneys will be on hand to help with renewal applications and provide legal advice. Permanent residents are asked to bring information on any criminal or police record.

• For more information on the workshops, call (847) 848-1133.

Source: League of United Latin American Citizens and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement