By C1 Staff
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A man who has lived in the U.S. since he was 9, served in the Army and worked in the prison system has finally been granted American citizenship.
According to The Jacksonville, Mario Hernandez came to the U.S. in 1965 from Cuba with his mother and three sisters. He was allowed to stay under the Cuban Adjustment Act, making him eligible for a green card a year later and citizenship five years after that, but no one in his family ever applied for those documents.
He was given a Social Security card in California when an employer helped him apply for one.
Upon joining the army, Hernandez swore what he thought was an oath of citizenship. He spent three years in the Army before leaving to go on to work and never left the country. He paid taxes throughout his life and has no criminal record.
It wasn’t until he retired and attempted to go on a cruise with his wife that he was told that, since he had no documentation proving his citizenship, he was not an American citizen.
When Hernandez joined the Army in 1975, the Vietnam War was still in what was considered a “designated period of hostility;” this should have qualified Hernandez for citizenship. Immigration services denied his application in March.
His attorney appealed and two continuances followed; the attorney, Elizabeth Ricci, said this is her third case with similar circumstances.
“I think it shows the immigration system is very broken,” Ricci said. The other cases also involved military service members; with 100,000 immigrants serving in the military, there may be hundreds more.
By 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Hernandez had his oath administered in a cobbled-together ceremony.
“I couldn’t be happier,” he said. His first act will be to get his voter registration card in Tallahassee.
“This is the only country I’ve known and I am very proud.”