Special Editorial : The Declaration of Independence / Citizenship
Posted Jul 04, 2003

On July 4, 1776, a group of men in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania applied for naturalization and/or proof of citizenship to the United States of America by signing the Declaration of Independence. Today, those who file the N-400 or the N-600 to become U.S. citizens generally need not wax eloquent about certain inalienable and fundamental rights nor fight in a bloody war to earn the right to become U.S. citizens (with the exception of some of our outstanding members of the military), but they do face significant hurdles before the prize of U.S. citizenship may be attained.

This is especially true since September 11, 2001, when some people began to believe that citizenship and the freedoms of this great land should be restricted. On the contrary, we must be ever vigilant not to allow the fundamental freedoms available under the U.S. Constitution to be threatened. We must each remember that the July 4th holiday is a day to celebrate those who seek liberty and freedom, not for those who would seek to destroy it or keep it from others. July 4th is a day to recognize that family members of U.S. citizens, members of the U.S. military who have fought at the request of our President, and those who have made economic and cultural contributions to the U.S. through years of hard work by paying taxes and helping to build our nation, should have the same opportunities to become citizens of the United States as those who established our country and made their declaration of independence more than 220 years ago. We hope that government officials who influence immigration policies will keep these things in mind on this day of celebration of U.S. independence.

May we take this opportunity to wish all of our MurthyBulletin and MurthyDotCom readers a safe and joyous Independence Day weekend!

~ Sheela Murthy