Juan Garcia, above, at a news conference at Providence City Hall to urge immigrants to apply for citizenship, says he’s ready to become a citizen

PROVIDENCE — Juan Garcia arrived in the United States in 1978. Originally from Guatemala, he says he’s had permanent legal status here for 22 years. Not until now, however, has the 54-year-old community service worker chosen to become a citizen.

Spurred by the polarizing immigration reform debate and steep hikes in the naturalization fees come Aug. 1, Garcia plans to register for citizenship on Saturday and fulfill a growing sense of civic obligation.

“For legal residents” such as himself, “it’s a question of making sure our voices are heard,” he said yesterday through a translator.

The International Institute of Rhode Island estimates that about 150,000 people in the Ocean State are foreign born, says its executive director, William Shuey. About 50,000 are already U.S. citizens. Of the remaining 100,000, at least 70,000 are here legally and eligible for citizenship, he says.

Yesterday, Shuey, Garcia and two other legal immigrants, Eduviges DeLaRosa and Gabriela Amparo, joined a collection of church, union and community organizations promoting a national campaign to motivate legal immigrants to become citizens and use the power of their vote.

On Saturday, the International Institute, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, Progreso Latino and Project Hope will offer citizen application advice at four locations in Providence and Central Falls.

Rocio Saenz, president of Local 615 of the Service Employees International Union, says there are 8 million legal immigrants nationally eligible for U.S. citizenship. The national movement — “ya es hora,” or, now’s the time — has a goal to naturalize more than 1 million new citizens this year, in time for next year’s elections.

Saenz says the push has been motivated by a 69-percent increase in naturalization fees (from $400 to $675) set to go into effect on Aug. 1, and the “ugly tone of the immigration debate,” which casts aspersions on all hard-working immigrants, no matter their legal status.

President Bush’s effort to overhaul the nation’s immigration policy failed last month when the Senate could not unite on a proposal that offered legal status to millions of illegal immigrants while trying to tighten the nation’s borders.

DeLaRosa, a mother of three, said through an interpreter that she and her family “know what hard work is.”

DeLaRosa said she works 14-hour days at two janitorial jobs, one at Amgen in West Greenwich and the other in Family Court in Providence.

She said she worked hard to help ensure that her children received the best America had to offer. And her children, she said, worked hard in school “because they are working for a better future and a better America.”

She plans to file papers for citizenship next week.

Gabriela Amparo said she has already started the several-month process of becoming a citizen. Amparo moved to the United States 12 years ago from the Dominican Republic. For the last four years, she has worked as a childcare provider “and I know that my love for the children I take care of makes them strong,” she said through an translator.

Amparo said she wanted to become an American citizen so she and her daughter, who was born in the United States, will have a better future. She is taking English classes “so I will be able to participate in American life” and one day, she said, “I will vote.”

At yesterday’s news conference, Shuey said, “I’m really here to emphasize that our organization and our efforts [are] about embracing the immigrant community, as opposed to the politics of fear and hatred that we have seen alarmingly demonstrated in this recent debate. … And I think it’s important that those of us who are on this side of inclusion, as opposed to exclusion, be heard.”

Those seeking help on citizenship applications can get it Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the following locations:

International Institute of Rhode Island, 645 Elmwood Ave., Providence. (401) 784-8615.

Progreso Latino, 626 Broad St., Central Falls, (401) 728-5920, ext. 310.

Diocese of Providence, 184 Broad St., Providence, (401) 421-7833, ext. 129.

Project Hope, 400 Dexter St., Central Falls, (401) 728-0515.

tmooney@projo.com