Profile

Meet Etta Smith

I mmigration debates are not new. America in 1924, for example, limited exodus under the Johnson-Reed Act, which included a ban on those from certain countries.

Sound familiar? Aside from the politics of immigration, there are those of us depending on Southwest Floridians such as Etta Smith, a Bonita Springs volunteer fluent in Spanish who helps with testing and other literacy hurdles. She works with Literacy Council Gulf Coast, a Bonita nonprofit helping non-English speakers acquire reading and writing skills. The agency has some 800 tutors and is the largest such service in Florida.

Bonita & Estero magazine asked Etta Smith about her role. MY TEACHING ROLE at Literacy Council Gulf Coast is to prepare students for the citizenship test. The test is four parts: speaking, which is tested by an interview on a 21-page application; reading―read a sentence that they show the applicant; writing―write a sentence that is spoken to an applicant; and history questions―applicants must answer six out of 10 questions produced from the 100-question list. WHAT AMERICANS SHOULD KNOW about immigrants is that all my students have permanent resident cards and are legal, they pay taxes, they do not have criminal records, they have children, they have dreams just like us. Most want to become citizens and to be a productive part of our society. The common story among immigrants is no different than the story my grandfather told― they came to America for a better life and are willing to work for it. The application to take the test costs more than $700. I’m not sure what a green card costs and I know the renewal is about $400, so these people have paid their dues all along.

I AM HELPING them become citizens. I help them with their application questions and tell them what certificates are needed to send in: marriage, death and birth. Most never registered for the Selective Service [System], so I help them explain why or to get a number. If you have a green card, yes, you are eligible for the draft like every citizen [ages] 18 to 26. Many of my students only went to fifth grade, so it is important that our class gives them what they need to pass.

I DON’T THINK there is a simple solution for illegal immigrants. They had a system, sometimes not politically correct, when people came to Ellis Island. Now there is no system. You walk across a border, you get lucky and land a job where your employer calls immigration and gets you a work permit and you build on that opportunity. I feel sorry for illegals and, in my perfect world, I would give all of those who never even had a traffic violation a work permit and then, if they obeyed all the rules, they would be on at least a seven-year path to citizenship.

MOST WANT TO BECOME CITIZENS AND TO BE A PRODUCTIVE PART OF OUR SOCIETY.”

—ETTA SMITH