MEDIA CONTACTS:
Belle Woods, AILA, bwoods@aila.org, 202-507-7675
Maria Yuquilima, Citizenshipworks, maria@justicialab.org, 260-479-0833
Melissa Stek, NPNA, melissa@masadc.com, (616) 550-8039
Luis Acosta, NALEO Educational Fund, lacosta@naleo.org, (956) 460-3598
Donna De La Cruz, New Americans Campaign ddelacruz@ilrc.org, (202)4413798
WASHINGTON, D.C.—This September, 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) are proud to work together on AILA Citizenship Day events, taking place in-person and virtually, throughout the country this month to offer legal expertise and support as lawful permanent residents (LPRs) take the final steps toward citizenship. Bringing together attorneys, affiliates, law students, paralegals, interpreters, and community members, AILA Citizenship Day efforts offer free assistance reviewing and filling out forms and preparing to become a U.S. Citizen.
On September 21, NALEO Educational Fund, with AILA members, will lead a nationwide, bilingual (English and Spanish), U.S. citizenship eligibility call screening service to verify the eligibility of callers for naturalization, answer questions about filing their application, and register interested applicants for a citizenship workshop in their area. Community members are invited to call 1-888-839-8682 on September 21 from 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. PST/ 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CST/ 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST to be screened for eligibility.
AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson noted, “AILA members across the country come together for this vital series of events and clinics because by offering their legal expertise and working with community and national partners, our impact is magnified far beyond what one individual attorney can do. Helping qualified applicants take those last few steps toward the safety and security of U.S. citizenship is such a positive and affirming act; many members tell us these pro bono opportunities are the highlight of their year.”
“Naturalization remains one the most profound ways to reshape and improve the lives of immigrants living in the U.S.,” said NALEO Educational Fund CEO Arturo Vargas. “With the right to vote, the ability to travel with ease with a U.S. passport, and expanded employment opportunities, lawful permanent residents who have contributed to the nation’s economy and have established roots for themselves and their families should consider taking the next step and apply for U.S. citizenship. NALEO Educational Fund is proud to partner on this nineteenth AILA Citizenship Day and is committed to offering accurate and timely information and resources on the naturalization process through our toll-free, national bilingual citizenship hotline (1-888-839-8682) — Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET.”
“Obtaining citizenship shouldn’t be costly or difficult. With Citizenshipworks’ online application form, applying for naturalization is now safe and simple. We are proud to partner with AILA, NALEO, and NPNA to make this year’s Citizenship Day a success and to bring the benefits of citizenship to more new Americans,” said Rodrigo Camarena, Director of Justicia Lab.
“As the new American population rapidly increases, we are reminded that citizenship is more than just a legal status–it’s a commitment to bolstering our democracy and building a more inclusive and vibrant nation,” said Nicole Melaku, Executive Director of the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA). “While we’ve celebrated record-level naturalization rates and USCIS nearly cleared the naturalization backlog last year, there is still more work to be done to naturalize the more than 9 million Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) who call this country home. In addition to our Naturalize NOW! Campaigns and the Cities & Counties for Citizenship (CC4C) efforts, NPNA is proud to collaborate with AILA and our network of partners to empower eligible-to-naturalize communities nationwide to secure their place in our democracy.”
“On this Citizenship Day, the New Americans Campaign is proud to partner with AILA and other national leaders to honor the hard work and dedication of immigrants on their path to citizenship. With the support of our network of over 200 partners, we are dedicated to making the naturalization process more accessible for the nearly 9 million eligible individuals. Through collaboration and partnership, we aim to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to fully engage in and contribute to our democracy,” 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 66 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 40 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 Pro Bono Net’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 is a leading national collaborative dedicated to increasing naturalization rates in the United States. While over nine million lawful permanent residents are eligible for citizenship, fewer than one million apply each year. We tackle this challenge by advocating for fair naturalization policies, sharing best practices with naturalization practitioners, and connecting individuals with our network of trusted experts. With over 200 partner organizations across more than 20 cities nationwide, we are transforming the path to citizenship for aspiring new Americans.