A photograph of a letter dated Jan. 31, 2019 sent to a Smith County voter asking for proof of citizenship.

After finding out her citizenship was in question by the secretary of state’s voter registration review, a 21-year-old University of Texas at Tyler student said she was upset, since she took all the right steps to become a citizen and register to vote.

Belen Iniguez of Tyler said she heard about the list and had a feeling she might be on it.

Iniguez, who became a naturalized citizen last year, said she called the Smith County Elections Office and learned she was among 239 people in the county who will have to provide proof of citizenship to avoid being taken off the county’s voter roll.  

“Within five minutes, they told me I was on it,” she said. “I haven’t gotten over it. I felt heated.”

Iniguez, who is working in Austin as an intern at the Texas State Capitol, said she is even more confused because she paid the fees, which are about $725, took the test and went through the naturalization ceremony and then registered to vote.  

“I worked as volunteer deputy registrar last semester and registered 100 people to vote,” she said. “I did these great things and the right things and to know I was targeted was hard to believe.” 

To remedy the situation and not be taken off the voter roll, Iniguez said she will email a copy of her naturalization certificate to the Smith County Elections Office. 

Iniguez said she doesn’t know if she will seek legal action, but she has sought the help of an organization in Austin that is working with other naturalized citizens who were among the 95,000 people identified.

Iniguez said she was told many people on the list were noncitizens who applied and got a driver’s license or state identification card within the last 22 years and went on to get their citizenship and registered to vote. 

“I’ve lived in East Texas for 10 years. I have been a permanent resident since I was 2 years old,” she said. “I went to school and got an ID card and then got my driver’s license. I became a citizen last year and then got registered to vote.”

Iniguez is encouraging anyone who was naturalized in the last 10 years to check with their local elections office.

“I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t call,” she said.

Nelson said the elections office verified the records for 58 of the residents included on the original list last week and sent out letters of examination to the remaining 239 informing them that the office had received information questioning their citizenship.