WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), Citizenshipworks (a project of Pro Bono Net’s Justicia Lab), and the New Americans Campaign (NAC) will celebrate the 21st Anniversary of AILA Citizenship Day, honoring more than two decades of service and collective impact. AILA’s Citizenship Day will be held on and around Thursday, September 17, 2026, with in-person and virtual events around the country to provide legal expertise and support as Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) pursue the final steps to become naturalized citizens. Every year, the national effort gathers attorneys, affiliates, law students, paralegals, interpreters, and community members at AILA Citizenship Day events to offer free-of-charge assistance filling out N-400 Applications and preparing and reviewing documents to become a U.S. Citizen.
AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson described the engagement of AILA members: “AILA Citizenship Day is a life-altering effort as AILA member attorneys and other volunteers help people review their eligibility to naturalize and then help them prepare the paperwork for submission on their path to U.S. Citizenship. We are incredibly proud of the legal expertise and
time that our members donate, working across communities and across the country with partners, to multiply the impact and help more people.”
“Naturalization is one of the most meaningful ways to improve the lives of lawful permanent residents and strengthen our communities,” said NALEO Educational Fund CEO Erica Bernal-Martinez. “Elected and appointed officials know that newly naturalized citizens drive economic mobility, entrepreneurship, and civic participation — benefits felt across the nation. But the path to citizenship is under direct threat. Harmful changes to the naturalization process — some already in effect, others still proposed — are creating unfair, unacceptable barriers. NALEO Educational Fund will not let these obstacles stand. We will work with members of Congress to fight back and defend the path to citizenship for all who have earned it.”
“Since 2011, Citizenshipworks has helped thousands of immigrants navigate the path to U.S. citizenship with free, trusted, multilingual support and resources. At a time when applying for citizenship has become more challenging, this support is more important than ever. We’re proud to partner with AILA, NALEO, and NPNA this Citizenship Day to help more immigrants achieve the benefits of citizenship,” said Sandra Sandoval, Citizenshipworks Program Lead.
“There are few things more American than choosing to become a U.S. citizen, an act that should be dignified and respected. However, this administration’s brazen attempts to redefine who gets to be an American are a direct attack on immigrant integration, civic participation, and our democratic values.” Said Nicole Melaku, NPNA executive director, “NPNA will be relentless in our pursuit to protect access to citizenship and continue to work alongside our members and partners including our Cities and Counties for Citizenship network to inform and empower immigrant communities every step of the way.”
“The New Americans Campaign (NAC) is proud to join with AILA and partner organizations across the country to celebrate Citizenship Day and the millions of immigrants who aspire to become U.S. citizens. Over the past year, the path to citizenship has become more difficult through increased wait times, the introduction of a more difficult citizenship test, and changes to naturalization policy that inject confusion and uncertainty into the process. Despite these challenges, the NAC’s network of more than 200 organizations continued to serve immigrants on the path to citizenship. Since 2011, NAC partners have assisted more than 720,000 people to apply to naturalize while saving them more than 810 million dollars in fee waivers and legal fees. NAC partners continue to remove barriers and expand access to naturalization for the over 9 million eligible lawful permanent residents. As we reflect on the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, we recognize that the promise of citizenship is vital to affirming our national values of liberty and equality and to ensuring that eligible immigrants can achieve the security and belonging that they deserve,” said Lucia Martel Dow, Director of the New Americans Campaign.
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The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.
The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition of 86 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 42 states. Together with our members, we advance immigrant and refugee equity and inclusion, build and expand immigration legal services and integration programming capacity, and drive campaigns that strengthen democracy through increased civic participation. See our website for more information at partnershipfornewamericans.org
NALEO Educational Fund is the nation’s leading non-partisan, non-profit organization that facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.
Citizenshipworks is a project of Scale Justice’s Justicia Lab, a nonprofit incubator of immigrant legal technology. Citizenshipworks (www.citizenshipworks.org), is a groundbreaking online
naturalization platform that has transformed applying for U.S. Citizenship assistance by making it easy for anyone to go online, screen for eligibility, complete their forms, and connect to virtual or in-person legal assistance.
The New Americans Campaign (NAC) led by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, is the nation’s leading collaborative dedicated to increasing the number of eligible immigrants who become naturalized citizens. We build the capacity of nonprofit service providers, advocate for fair naturalization policies, and connect people with legal experts through our network of 200 partner organizations in more than 80 cities nationwide. Since its inception in 2011, the NAC has helped more than 690,000 people apply for U.S. citizenship. By providing naturalization assistance at low or no cost, the NAC network has saved applicants over $775 million in fees