Lake County Gazette

The St. James Lutheran Church in Lake Forest recently helped an African immigrant in her quest for U.S. citizenship. 

“Meet Mapenzi: once a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, now a U.S. citizen!” RefugeeOne posted on Facebook. “When she arrived in 2016, everything seemed new and uncertain. But a warm welcome from RefugeeOne and the St. James Lutheran Church (Lake Forest, IL) co-sponsor team helped her find her footing. Seven years later, we’re all celebrating her amazing accomplishment. Congratulations, Mapenzi!”

According to Pew Research, as of 2018, there were 44.98 million residents of the United States who were born elsewhere. That represents around 20% of all migrants in the world. Legal immigrants like Mapenzi make up the vast majority of those living in the U.S. who were born in different countries. Immigrants make up 13.7% of the country’s population. However, a quarter of all immigrants in the United States are here illegally.

“Not all lawful permanent residents choose to pursue U.S. citizenship," Pew Research notes. "Those who wish to do so may apply after meeting certain requirements, including having lived in the U.S. for five years. In fiscal year 2019, about 800,000 immigrants applied for naturalization. The number of naturalization applications has climbed in recent years, though the annual totals remain below the 1.4 million applications filed in 2007."

“Generally, most immigrants eligible for naturalization apply to become citizens," according to Pew Research. "However, Mexican lawful immigrants have the lowest naturalization rate overall. Language and personal barriers, lack of interest and financial barriers are among the top reasons for choosing not to naturalize cited by Mexican-born green card holders, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey."

Mapenzi’s home country, the Democratic Republic Of Congo, makes up a large portion of the 125,000 refugees allowed to move to the United States each year. In recent years, the number of legal refugees has slowed to a trickle as processing times have greatly increased.

Congo has one of the highest displaced populations in the world. 

“The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the most enduring and complex humanitarian crises in the world," the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants notes in a resource regarding the crisis. "The country is simultaneously experiencing armed conflicts, food insecurity, forced displacement, and multiple recurring epidemics, including cholera, measles and intermittent outbreaks of Ebola."