From left, Carmen Berrera, Lupe Estrada, and Adolfo Estrada are now US citizens, thanks to a Literacy Link-Leamos volunteer, Thelma Sordyl. Patricia Corral, not pictured here, also studied with Sordyl and passed the test in 2015, which Literacy Link - Leamos just learned last week.

LL-L congratulates Adolfo, Lupe, Carmen, Patricia and their LLL tutor, Thelma Sordyl for passing this milestone!

The test to become a US citizen became much more demanding in 2003, after the US government reorganized several departments following the attacks of September 11, 2001. The INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), which had been in existence since 1933, became the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), and is now administered by the Department of Homeland Security.

The exam has reading, writing and verbal components, and can only be scheduled after an enormous amount of documentation has been submitted and approved. One form, USCIS Form N-400 is 20 pages long; the list of required forms is itself four pages!

Carmen has lived in Silver City for many years. Her husband and children were born here, so theyG