Cities for Citizenship is announcing that almost 20 cities have joined the major initiative aimed at increasing citizenship among eligible U.S. legal permanent residents (LPRs) to forge more inclusive and economically robust cities. Reading, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, California, Jersey City, New Jersey, and San Jose, California are the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th members, respectively. Other member cities include: Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Chattanooga; Chicago; Denver; Los Angeles; Nashville; New York; Milwaukee; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Seattle; and Washington, DC.

Press Release

 

Help us Celebrate Citizenship Day 2015! Sign up here to share your plans for naturalization activities you have planned for the week of September 17, 2015. We will be reaching out again to soon to find ways to support your activities through media support and related activities through our networks.
Thank you and we look forward to sharing our successes as naturalization partners working together to help nearly 9 million Legal Permanent Residents become citizens in 2015.

 

About Cities for Citizenship

Cities for Citizenship is a major national initiative aimed at increasing citizenship among eligible U.S. permanent residents and encouraging cities across the country to invest in citizenship programs. It is chaired by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, with support from the Center for Popular Democracy and the National Partnership for New Americans. Citi Community Development is the Founding Corporate Partner.

There are currently 8.8 million legal permanent residents in America who are eligible for citizenship – 52% of whom remain low-income. Their naturalization would provide access to better paying jobs (up to an 11% increase to their personal earnings), academic scholarships, and myriad other benefits. Cities for Citizenship will promote the expansion of naturalization and financial empowerment programs nationwide, boosting economic opportunity for our immigrants and our communities.

Cities Can

Dedicate and Involve City Personnel

Establish a New Office

or agency such as an Office of New Americans, or Office of Immigrant Affairs — through an exercise of executive power, and allocate funding to that agency to support naturalization programs.

Establish a City Hotline

to answer constituents’ questions about the naturalization process and connect immigrants to city and community-based services.

Create Targeted Initiatives

to reach specific demographics to focus limited city dollars where they are most needed, and can build capacity to serve communities without having to alter city government.

Train Municipal Workers

such as library employees and school counselors—in the basics of naturalization and have those employees serve as point people to connect constituents with city services or community-based organizations.

Paid Release Time

for city workers to attend naturalization trainings, and to volunteer with local organizations to support naturalization work.

Encourage Naturalization

for municipal employees. Cities of all sizes have naturalization-eligible immigrants working for city agencies. In large cities, they might number in the thousands.

Empowering legal permanent residents to become citizens will help cities thrive, download Citizenship: A Wise Investment for Cities to learn more about the facts.

 

Cities Can

Fund Naturalization Workshops

Provide 'Scale Up' Grants

to organizations that already run naturalization workshops to expand their operations and increase the number of applications they process each year.

Partner with Community

organizations and ethnic organizations to host citizenship workshops, translate materials, mobilize volunteers, and publicize efforts in the ethnic press.

Offer Use of City Buildings

and facilities such as libraries, schools and city colleges for free or at a reduced rate to organizations running naturalization workshops.

Advertise Existing Initiatives

through city-sponsored television, print ads, mass transit signboards, social media, public readerboards, newsletters, etc.

Cultivate Private Corporations

with a strong local presence as potential sponsors of naturalization initiatives.

Collaborate with Unions

so that their members and their families can participate in naturalization workshops.

Work With Credit Unions

and other financial institutions to establish low- or no-interest loan programs to help pay high application fees.

Recruit Law Firms

and city legal department staff to provide pro bono legal support to clients at naturalization workshops.

Cities Can

Fund and Support Direct Services

Community

Cities can issue grants to community based organizations already doing naturalization work to continue and scale up individual case work. Funding should also be provided to handle more complex cases that require ongoing support.

Key Points

Cities can identify their agencies and offices that are key points of contact with immigrant communities and establish a practice of referring potentially eligible individuals to local organizations with expertise on naturalization.

New Relationships

Cities can broker relationships between community-based organizations and private entities interested in public service via direct sponsorship of programs or donation of regular ongoing pro-bono services from law firms, consultants, and others.

Cities Can

Publicize, Reach Out and Engage Community

Run Television and Radio Spots

featuring the Mayor or other influential political figures, faith leaders, and local celebrities.
 
 

Pass Resolutions

in the local legislature or issue mayoral proclamations acknowledging the importance of immigrant communities to the social, political and economic life of the city.

Declare Annual 'Citizenship Day'

or 'Week' or 'Month,' during which the city celebrates the contributions of immigrants through cultural events and community activities. This may coincide with a series of naturalization workshops or swearing in ceremonies.

Host Swearing-in Ceremonies

at which the Mayor presides and speaks. U.S. Immigration & Citizenship Services (USCIS), the federal agency which manages the naturalization process, welcomes such collaboration.

Recruit Citizens

to volunteer to support citizenship initiatives, including citizenship classes and naturalization workshops.
 

Encourage Partners

like city vendors, unions and others to motivate their naturalization-eligible employees to apply for naturalization.

State and Federal Relationship Building

Collaboration with federal agencies and state governments can help strengthen municipal citizenship initiatives. Political leaders in immigrant-rich cities should use the annual budget process to argue for investment from their states in local naturalization programs. Cities can also use their influence at the federal level to argue for system-wide changes that will benefit their constituents.
 
In 2012, for example, the City of Los Angeles signed a letter of agreement with USCIS to coordinate outreach efforts to the city's 2.5 million citizenship-eligible residents. Cities can:

  • Lobby at the state level for funding to support municipal naturalization initiatives.
  • Advocate at the federal level for a reduction in naturalization fees, which are prohibitive for many low-income immigrants, and for other policy changes that would remove disincentives to naturalization. USCIS is actively considering a mechanism for fee reduction.
  • Establish partnerships with USCIS to connect local efforts with federal resources.

Connect

Naturalization initiatives are a great opportunity for cities to connect immigrant constituencies up with other key services and programs. Cities can:

  • Provide information about registering to vote at naturalization sites.
  • Provide information to naturalization applicants and their families about other avenues for obtaining legal status, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
  • Provide information about eligibility for programs available to citizens, such as coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
  • Provide information to naturalization applicants and their families about other state and local immigrant integration initiatives, such as drivers’ licenses or municipal ID cards. .

Resources

 
Promoting Citizenship Makes Economic Sense (PDF) Sign Up Now! (DOC) Participating City Commitments (PDF) Download Full Media Advisory (PDF) Press Coverage Citizenship is an Asset for Economic Opportunity (PDF) Learn More About C4C (PDF)

Webinars

Webinar: Citizenship – A Means to Financial Empowerment (PPT) Webinar: Using Data to Reduce Barriers to Naturalization (PPT) Webinar: Scaling Up – Strategies for Expanding Naturalization (PPT)

USCIS resources

Citizenship Resource Center Naturalization Resources in Spanish Civics and Citizenship Toolkit

Cities

 

Atlanta, GA · Baltimore, MD · Boston, MA · Chattanooga, TN · Chicago, IL* · Denver, CO · Jersey City, NJ · Los Angeles, CA* · Nashville, TN · New York, NY* · Milwaukee, WI · Philadelphia, PA · Pittsburgh, PA · Reading, PA · San Francisco, CA · San Jose, CA · Seattle, WA · Washington, DC

 

* indicates founding city

 

 

Subscribe to Updates