By Paula Day

After six years of going from home to work to home again, and rarely anywhere else, how does one feel to finally belong?

"Nervous and very, very happy" is Antonio's answer. To avoid detection and probable deportation by the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), Antonio Furentes has lived life looking over his shoulder since he came from El Salvador to the United States, illegally, in Nov. 1981.

With the help of Patrick Kingery and Elizabeth Thompson, staff of Catholic Social Services' alien legalization program, Furentes can now speak his last name publicly, smile openly before cameras and give his home address to strangers. He may visit his children in El Salvador knowing he can return legally to this country.

Furentes was the first undocumented alien in the Atlanta area to be granted a temporary work permit under the new federal immigration law which went into effect May 5.

Hours of work and years of support from friends led up to the moment he was handed the identification card with his photograph and fingerprints. With the card he can work for six months while his application for legal residency in the United States is processed.

Kingery is "reasonably certain" the application will go through. He, Ms. Thompson, and a staff of volunteers have gathered documents such as tax return forms, wage statements, rent receipts and utility bills to prove Furentes' presence in this country since 1981.

Buster Russell, Furentes' work supervisor and friend since his first days in the United States, encouraged him to seek legalization.

"He's a very warm, loving individual," Russell commented. "His work ethic makes him an ideal employee. Show him how and he does it 'that way'. He's very clean -- an intelligent person. Our friendship has developed over the years. Once my car broke down and he came to get me. He'd do anything for a friend."

According to Kingery, this kind of support from employers, who are willing to give sworn testimony about their employees, helps to make the process successful. If, for some reason, Furentes' application for final legalization is refused, he cannot be identified or deported using information given to CSS.

Furentes is employed in food preparation at a local Rusty Scupper restaurant. When Furentes receives legal residency he hopes to reunite his family by bringing his sons from El Salvador. He says he wants them to get a good education. The boys, nine and 12, are now living with his mother-in-law. While his wife and children may not qualify for legalization, authorities assure CSS that the family will not be separated.

Furentes qualified for legalization because he has been in the U.S. on a continuous basis since Jan 1, 1982. He is the first of an estimated 1,000 illegal aliens CSS hopes to help apply for legal residency. Persons seeking help from CSS can make an appointment to meet with advisers for an evaluation of their situation. The office accepts walk-ins on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It does not supply forms without an evaluation. The confidential pre-screening can be done one-on-one in any of the seven designated areas outside Atlanta: Athens, Dalton, Gainesville, Cedartown, LaGrange, Jonesboro and Milledgeville or at the CSS office, 680 W. Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308. Or call them at 404-881-6571