motopoet - are you aware that the fees for processing citizenship applications went up dramatically recently? It was doubled from about $495 ( speaking under correction there ) to over $1000. The influx of applicants was caused by legal permanent residents who qualify for citizenship wishing to avoid the fee hike.

Also, do you know how citizenship applications work? You sure as all get out will not be applying for citizenship if you are an illegal immigrant, because you'll be out of the country on your ass faster than you can say sorry if you tried that. Rest assured, it really is impossible to gain citizenship unless you are a legal permanent resident. The USCIS are not a bunch of fools. They do the background checks on the applicants, they sent them through FBI name checks, they have their files on these immigrants from since they qualified for the visa that brought them here, and they require all kinds of evidence that you are in the country legally at various points on immigrants' path to citizenship. I suggest you read up a little on how naturalization works. It will put your mind right at ease about reports like this, so you can go back to worrying about real illegal immigrants.

I must admit anyone wishing to become a citizen of this country and willing to do it the right way certainly has my  condolences to join the freedom that we all enjoy and share the tax paying prospers of the rest of us............

Legal immigrants certainly pay their taxes just like a citizen does, and to top it off, they are not entitled to the same benefits from those taxes as a citizen straightaway. For instance, a legal immigrant needs to turn in 40 quarters of work before that person is allowed to receive social security or medicare, even though they are taxed for it throughout the 40 quarters. So, work say, 38 quarters and then get disabled and you can't work anymore, tough cookies, eh?

Legal immigrants also have some ( fair ) restrictions that apply to their residence. For instance, though they pay taxes they are not allowed to vote in any elections and therefore have no direct say over where their taxes go the way American citizens do. They are also not allowed to hold any kind of government job, not even a clerical job. And this includes government branches like the Post Office. Legal immigrants are not allowed to receive government aid ( foodstamps, etc ) even though they may be paying or may have paid taxes. If a legal immigrant is convicted of a felony, they may be deported. Legal immigrants also have some restrictions on their comings and goings from and to the States. Specifically, they may not be out of the States for very long, or they loose permanent residency. No long vacations! Legal immigrants are generally hard-working and well-qualified, and they've complied calmly with tough requirements during their immigration journey. A legal immigrant is not some yahoo who snuck over a border. They're usually educated, intelligent, self-supporting people. You don't generally get to become a legal immigrant without being like that, because of the requirements attached to legally immigrating.

The backlog is partly deliberate.  Applicantions *ARE* way up this year, and the Shrub Administration is holding up approvals on citizenship applictions so those approved can't vote against Republicans in November.  They don't want a repeat of 1997, the last time there was a citizenship drive like this one.  Of course, you can't discount the influence of general Shrubbery incompetence, too...

 The ironic part is that the fee change, which spiked the application rush, was caused by fund raising on the part of USCIS to upgrade their computer system and general system for handling applications, in order to enable them to process applications faster. And now they and their old system are swamped by the rush of applicants hoping to avoid the increase. Damned if you do and damned if you don't, it appears. One of the things holding up many applications are the FBI background name checks. Maybe the FBI should get more funding, too.

randomfactor - I wasn't aware that all immigrants are automatically Democrats! Also, do you have any links to the story of the citizenship drive of 1997, or am I  missing some tongue in cheek here?

 Who gives a rats tail about how much it costs? That, as usual, wasnt the point. And the cost isnt recent. My ex son in law came here from Denmark and applied in 2000...It was about $500 then too. Was THAT "Shrub's" fault too RF? I'm going to enjoy the next few years when you hateful,bitter, sniping, fingerpointers don't have him to blame and nothing changes! I'm taking bets on THAT too(that nothing changes).  You guys never learn!