Who Wants to be American?

Available for over a year

Becoming an American citizen should be a straightforward process, but often it’s not. We hear about Tarek Hamdi, a legal resident from Egypt, who fought for 11 years to become a US citizen. We also meet an undocumented immigrant from Taiwan who’s leaning toward applying for her citizenship, but remains undecided. She tells us why. And, we explore ideas for a better citizenship test for would-be Americans. We’ll also hear about a break in the case of the mystery graffiti artist who was terrorizing African refugees in a New England city… and the story behind a spicy Asian condiment that’s become ubiquitous on American tables. Picture: Tarek Hamdi, from Egypt, received his US naturalization certificate in 2012. He first applied for citizenship in 2001 but faced more than a decade of delays and denials until he won his case, Credit: Tarek Hamdi