The prospect of a possible Donald Trump presidency has immigrants on Long Island and across the nation rushing to apply for U.S. citizenship.
Now the final Republican presidential candidate left standing, Trump has vowed to deport the roughly 11 million people illegally living in the U.S. The Associated Press reports a 14 percent increase in applications for citizenship in the last six months of 2015.
Gaby Andrade is an advocate for immigrant workers. Originally from Ecuador, she became a U.S. citizen in March. Soon after, she wasted no time in registering to vote.
Andrade's mother, Patricia Soldano, is still waiting for her application to go through the system. She says she hopes it happens before Election Day, especially with the possibility of Trump becoming the next president.
Andrade is now encouraging her fellow immigrants to vote, which for many starts with the naturalization process. Make the Road New York, located in Brentwood, is one of several places where immigrants can start the process.
News 12 reached out to Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) for his take on the uptick in applications for U.S. citizenship, but has not heard back.