More of the nation's 8 million legal immigrants are showing up at citizenship classes and seminars sponsored by churches and community groups.

"I didn't think it was important before, but now I think it's very important to be a citizen," Leonida Santana said during a break in a Saturday morning class discussion about the separation of powers among Congress, the president and the courts.

Santana, a Dominican Republic native, arrived in the United States in 1983 and a year later secured a green card, signifying permanent legal residency. She signed up for the 10 weeks of citizenship preparation classes after the House last year passed a bill that would deport illegal immigrants as felons and erect 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.