When Francisco Hernandez emigrated from El Salvador to the United States in 1989 fleeing poverty, unrest, and civil war, he made the trek with nothing but the clothes on his back.
Over the years he formed a family, found economic stability, and became a legal U.S. resident.
Today, Hernandez and his wife, Rosa — also from El Salvador — are eagerly hoping to achieve what they consider to be the capstone of their immigration journey: becoming U.S. citizens.
“Citizenship is not a right, it is a privilege,” he said during a recent citizenship workshop at St. Louis of France in La Puente. “It is the highest level that one can attain in this country.”