Citizenship After One Hundred Years

Over one hundred years ago Eulalia Garcia Maturey's mother brought her to the United States. She simply boarded a ferry with her baby girl in her arms and crossed the river to Brownsville, Texas. Things were simpler in 1909. In 1940 Congress passed the World War II Alien Registration Act requiring, among other things, that noncitizens register with the government. Eulalia complied, and on April 4, 1941 was issued a Certificate of Lawful Entry. She did not really understand what this meant, but in 2008, Eulalia knew she had to find out. So her niece took her to the USCIS office in Brownsville to see what they could learn. Not surprisingly, Eulalia's name was not found in the agency's computer system. Fortunately, she had taken care to keep her Certificate of Lawful Entry safe, and that was all the officer needed. Now, one hundred and ten years after her arrival here, Eulalia Garcia Maturey will become a United States citizen. "I was raised her, and I want to die here," she says. For more of Eulalia's story, see:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/10/11/101woman.citizen.document/

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