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.
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.
to answer constituents’ questions about the naturalization process and connect immigrants to city and community-based services.
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.
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.
for city workers to attend naturalization trainings, and to volunteer with local organizations to support naturalization work.
for municipal employees. Cities of all sizes have naturalization-eligible immigrants working for city agencies. In large cities, they might number in the thousands.
to organizations that already run naturalization workshops to expand their operations and increase the number of applications they process each year.
organizations and ethnic organizations to host citizenship workshops, translate materials, mobilize volunteers, and publicize efforts in the ethnic press.
and facilities such as libraries, schools and city colleges for free or at a reduced rate to organizations running naturalization workshops.
through city-sponsored television, print ads, mass transit signboards, social media, public readerboards, newsletters, etc.
with a strong local presence as potential sponsors of naturalization initiatives.
so that their members and their families can participate in naturalization workshops.
and other financial institutions to establish low- or no-interest loan programs to help pay high application fees.
and city legal department staff to provide pro bono legal support to clients at naturalization workshops.
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.
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.
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.
featuring the Mayor or other influential political figures, faith leaders, and local celebrities.
in the local legislature or issue mayoral proclamations acknowledging the importance of immigrant communities to the social, political and economic life of the city.
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.
at which the Mayor presides and speaks. U.S. Immigration & Citizenship Services (USCIS), the federal agency which manages the naturalization process, welcomes such collaboration.
to volunteer to support citizenship initiatives, including citizenship classes and naturalization workshops.
like city vendors, unions and others to motivate their naturalization-eligible employees to apply for naturalization.
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:
Naturalization initiatives are a great opportunity for cities to connect immigrant constituencies up with other key services and programs. Cities can:
* indicates founding city