Recently, students in Jason Shippy’s 9th-grade civics class studied a unit on immigration, particularly those newcomers to the United States. During that time, they learned about the naturalization process, the steps those wishing to become citizens need to take to do so, or what some go through to become legalized aliens.

The students had a lot of questions, ones Shippy couldn’t directly answer because this is a new topic to him. But not to leave his students wondering, he called upon the help of Chuck Berendes, an immigration lawyer for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of La Crosse, to speak to his classes, as well as those of social studies teacher Jeff Conway.

The purpose of the unit, Shippy said, was to build knowledge about the laws the country is based on, some of which concerns immigrants coming into the country. The class discussed how to become a citizen of the United States, or how to become legalized through the naturalization process.

“These kids had a lot of ‘what if’ questions,” he said. “I didn’t have the answers, and my wife, who works for Catholic Charities, said, ‘Let’s ask Chuck.’”

So on Sept. 12, Chuck Berendes, the only immigration lawyer between Madison and St. Paul, had a question-and-answer session with all five civics classes, answering several of the five questions each student was asked to come up with.

The first question was, how long is the full naturalization process for those interested in becoming a U.S. citizen. Berendes said the length depends on a person’s circumstance. For example, if an American citizen were to marry a foreign-born person, and that person wanted to become a citizen, in a matter of months, the spouse should be able to get a green card. That person has to have the card for three years and be present in the U.S. before he or she could apply for the naturalization process. In that case, the shortest amount of time it’d take is just under four years.

“For most people, you have to wait five years once you get the green card,” Berendes said. “The (longest time), there isn’t a real good answer to that. Let’s say I came from Paraguay and get my green card. I could live here for 50 years and die here and never become naturalized.”

Another student asked what Berendes does as an immigration lawyer. Several in the class thought he worked in courtrooms trying to get people sent back to their home countries for violating immigration laws, but really, it’s quite the opposite. The government sends people back to their home countries, he said, but he works closely with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to prevent deportations.

“I try to help people either get papers or keep their papers current,” he said, “but I don’t do the enforcing. There are immigration attorneys and the government, and those are the two sides.”

His days consist mainly of meeting with clients, people who are trying to become legalized citizens. Because he works at Catholic Charities in the Diocese of La Crosse, he travels all around the diocese, from Eau Claire to Prairie du Chien, to meet and work with people. One student asked if there were a lot of immigrants in La Crosse. Yes, said Berendes.

“I was surprised by how many there were. There are lots,” he said.

Though there are some in the city of La Crosse, many live in outlying cities like Arcadia, Norwalk, and Sparta, Wis., where jobs in factories are plentiful. And contrary to some beliefs, those workers who aren’t yet naturalized and don’t have Social Security numbers still pay taxes from their jobs. People can get an individual taxpayer identification number, and they pay taxes on that number, he said.

Berendes has worked with people from every continent except Antarctic and Australia, and he doesn’t believe the illegal immigrant situation n it’s thought there are 12 million undocumented workers in the U.S. n is as bad as the media portrays it to be. He works with people who have jobs or are looking for ones, and those who want to become citizens.

“I don’t know who exactly would do those jobs if not for (immigrant workers),” he said.

Berendes’ visit was beneficial, Shippy said, because he helped dispel some of the stereotypes out there about immigrants and shared stories about the people he works with on a daily basis. It came at a particularly critical time, especially after the factory raid in Postville, Iowa, and the attention the media’s given that situation, he said. It’s also been a hot-button issue amongst presidential candidates.

“It’s good for (students) to know that not everyone is here illegally,” Shippy said. “A majority of people just want to be here to work and better their lives, and I think Chuck brought that through with his presentation. They’re not all criminals and terrorists.”