With less than a week before National Citizenship Day on September 17--ya es hora ¡Ciudadania! (Citizenship: It's Time!), national community partners and the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) announced that more than 25 citizenship events are being held across the country this month to help thousands of eligible immigrants apply for U.S. citizenship. In an effort to support eligible immigrants facing increased economic hurdles, this month's workshops--which will take place in AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, KY, MA, NC, TX and VA--will provide free and low cost legal and administrative support to help eligible immigrants prepare and submit their applications. The workshops begin September 12 and last through the end of the month.
The nationwide citizenship push comes as a hike in the citizenship fee increase and economic recession have contributed to a decrease in naturalization applications. According to an analysis released by NCLR, after the fee to apply for U.S. citizenship jumped from $400 to $675 in 2007, the number of naturalization applications fell by 62 percent in 2008. If you take an even further look back, the fee hike over time much more dramatic: between 1990 and 2007, the cost of the U.S. citizenship process has increased 561 percent, from $91 to $670. For many immigrants, this large sum can equal three weeks to a month of wages.
There are still 8.25 million legal permanent residents who are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship--and we need to take steps to make sure that cost is not what's keeping willing, eligible immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens.
"Part of the responsibility of U.S. citizenship includes the work we all do to honor our nation's values of inclusion and opportunity for all, and that's what must guide our work this Citizenship Day as we ensure all those eligible receive the information they need to keep this dream of American inclusion alive," said Sylvia Garcia, President of the NALEO Education Fund and Commissioner of Harris County in Texas.
America's greatness is deeply rooted in our long-standing and valued tradition of welcoming and assimilating new arrivals in our country--and the fact remains that immigrants are continuing this tradition of becoming citizens today like in the past. "Immigrants are hungry to make their voices heard and participate in civic life, and we continue to see an incredible consensus throughout communities on the importance of strengthening our integration programs, citizenship, and voter empowerment work," said SEIU Executive VP Eliseo Medina. "This consensus is going to continue to grow as more and more groups join in."
This Citizenship Day 2009--as America confronts the difficult task ahead of reforming failed, short-sighted public policies that have benefited the few at the expense of the majority--there has never been a more important moment to recognize and embrace the responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. "As we saw in the 2008 Election, after an historic 1.3 million immigrants naturalized in time to make their voices hear in the Election, today's continued motivation of eligible immigrant to become U.S. citizens will play a defining role in U.S. political life," said Medina.
The ya es hora ¡Ciudadania! campaign--led nationally by the NALEO Educational Fund, NCLR, SEIU and Spanish language media partners Univision, Entravision and Impremedia--helped more than 1.4 million immigrants naturalize in 2007, the largest number since 1997. Want more information about ya es hora September citizenship workshops and NAKASEC's Unity in Movement: 2009 National Mobilization for Citizenship Day? Let us know.
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