Mayor’s “New Americans Initiative”
A template for municipal level partnerships to promote naturalization
In the spring of 2012, the groundwork was laid for mayors & municipal leaders to join immigrant
service providers in effective partnerships to assist the 8 million legal immigrants who are eligible
for U.S. citizenship to become naturalized U.S. Citizens & to advocate together to reduce the
significant barriers to citizenship.
Mayors across the U.S. are creating models to lend practical assistance to eligible legal immigrants
with the expensive & cumbersome process. Immigrant support coalitions, including the National
Partnership for New Americans & the Naturalization Working Group have joined as partners with
mayors, municipal leaders, & states across the nation in a national effort to promote naturalization.
The Municipal “New Americans Initiative” Campaign has four initial goals.
1.
U.S. Conference of Mayors “New Americans Initiative”
Resolution, June 14, 2012 (Flag Day)
Offered by Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago & co-sponsored
by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Mayor
Andre D. Pierre of North Miami, & Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt
of Chapel Hill, this Adopted Resolution (Pages 87-89)
recognizes contributions of immigrants to our nation and
encourages immigrants to pursue U.S. citizenship. This
Resolution also emphasizes the responsibility of the
American government at all levels—municipal, state, &
federal—to examine the barriers to naturalization & to
promote U.S. citizenship by launching “New Americans Initiatives” throughout the country.
2.
“New Americans Initiatives” announced by a series of city mayors, Summer 2012 (See
template below.)
A municipal “New Americans Initiative” is a partnership between a Mayor & city
administration with local immigrant service & advocacy organizations created to assist
qualified legal immigrants to become U.S. citizens.
3.
“New Americans Initiative” Sign-on Letter released by U.S. Mayors, September 17, 2012
(National Citizenship Day)
A letter signed by Mayor’s across the country voicing support for citizenship &
naturalization efforts at the municipal, state &
federal level.
4. National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC):
Naturalization efforts across the nation will be
highlighted at the 5th National Immigrant Integration Conference, to be held in Baltimore from
September 22 – 25, 2012. The Conference will feature an entire track on Naturalization efforts,
with workshops on the current national naturalization policy presented by the USCIS & the
important role of immigration & naturalization in promoting a vibrant & prosperous economy.
The conference will focus on how to further strategies for immigrant integration &
naturalization in a time of economic downturn & increased anti-immigrant backlash.
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Municipal “New Americans Initiative” Template
A municipal “New Americans Initiative” is a partnership between a Mayor & city administration
with local immigrant service & advocacy organizations created to assist qualified legal immigrants
to become U.S. citizens. A municipal “New Americans Initiative” can be a low-cost initiative for
municipalities, & can work on multiple levels. This Template builds on the good work done in cities
such as New York, Chicago, Houston, & Los Angeles.
The “menu” for a municipal “New Americans Initiative” may include:
Communications:
A mayoral-led convening of stakeholders in a “Citizenship Summit” (Target: National Citizenship
Day, September 17, 2012)


Summit should include elected officials, city agencies, private sector, faith based
groups, educational institutions, community-based organizations, etc.
The summit would help create a roadmap of goals, strategies & identify meaningful
roles for all stakeholders.
Public Service Announcements – can feature Mayor, elected officials, local celebrities, in
mainstream & ethnic media, cable access stations, etc.


e.g. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel & Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) PSA video, press
release, & script for citizenship workshop broadcast on Chicago Univision affiliate
WGBO-TV Channel 66
e.g. PSAs for Houston’s Annual Citizenship Week featuring local government,
educational, faith leaders, & Houston Mayor Annise Parker
Print announcements on local mass transit; distributed to municipal employees & their families;
distributed through Community College English classes, at libraries, & through local school systems
“Citizenship Day” (or week, or month) websites & activities: to assist immigrants with the
complicated process of naturalization.


e.g. Houston’s Annual Citizenship Week
e.g. The Washington Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association
(AILA) & OneAmerica host several Citizenship Day events in different cities across
the state per year
Earned media through Mayoral participation hosting Naturalization Oath Ceremonies &
Naturalization Assistance Workshops, especially at City Hall

e.g. National media coverage from Univision & La Raza as Chicago Mayor Rahm
Emanuel announced the Chicago “New Americans Initiative” while hosting the first
ever Citizenship swearing in ceremony in City Council Chambers with United States
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Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas

e.g. Chicago Tribune coverage of a citizenship workshop hosted by Chicago Mayor
Rahm Emanuel & Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL)
Annual “Extraordinary New Americans” Recognition Awards, garnering earned media
State-funded citizenship campaigns & resources seen in Illinois, which also has an Office of New
Americans Policy & Advocacy, Washington’s Washington New Americans Program, & New York,
where Gov. Andrew Cuomo has recently proposed & outlined a state-wide Office of New Americans.
Municipal Contributions to Naturalization Workshops:
Cities can contribute free space for Naturalization Workshops conducted by community
partners at Libraries, Community Colleges, public schools, & / or park facilities.
Cities can support the training (conducted by partner non-profits or pro bono immigration
attorneys) of municipal workers, library employees, school counselors, etc. in the basics of
naturalization (i.e. who is eligible, where they can obtain help, etc.)

Naturalization Training Resources from the United States Citizenship & Immigration
Services Office
Non-profit & business partners:


National
Partnership
for
New
Americans
“www.becomeacitizennow.org”
(www.hazteciudadanoahora.org en español) website provides information for non-profits
& their business partners & legal permanent residents seeking naturalization assistance
Non-profit & pro bono legal partners must be competent to offer quality citizenship
assistance to interested immigrant applicants through a consistent schedule of citizenship
workshops & individual consultations.
 Toolkit for Naturalization Workshop, Spanish Resources, & hotline (1(888)
622-6242; 1(888) 6 CAMBIA) for naturalization from the Catholic Legal
Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)
 National Bi-Lingual Naturalization Hotline ((888) 839-8682; (888) VE-YVOTA) run by National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO)
 Naturalization media campaigns developed by NALEO, CLINIC, & the Illinois
Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
Business partners can support the “New Americans Initiatives” in a range of ways, such as
underwriting the publicity for workshops; publicizing workshops to their employees & their
family members; assisting employees with the cost of their citizenship applications; &
offering one day off with pay on the day of an immigrant’s oath ceremony. Banks & credit
unions can offer micro-loans to pay for the cost of the citizenship applications.
Volunteerism & Dialogue with the Native-Born:
 Participation by native-born citizens in “New Americans Initiatives” via volunteerism
fosters mutual respect, cooperation, & dialogue between foreign-born & U.S.-born
Americans, helping create communities in which immigrants are more likely to integrate as
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civically engaged citizens.

Uniting America, a program that actively recruits & trains dedicated U.S.born volunteers for community events & citizenship workshops in Illinois to
build bridges that separate the immigrant & native-born communities

Welcoming America, which focuses on local leadership development,
strategic communications & public engagement to “reduce anxiety &
promote healthy dialogue in communities across the country”

Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. Online Training for Naturalization
Volunteers
Policy Advocacy:

Current national naturalization policy presents barriers to legal permanent residents
eligible for citizenship that prevent them from pursuing citizenship, chief among them the
$680 cost of U.S. citizenship application. Advocacy by mayors & municipal leaders will draw
attention to the barriers to U.S. citizenship faced by the over 8 million citizenship-eligible
legal permanent residents.
Next Steps:

Community & faith leaders, immigrant advocates, & mayors interested in municipal “New
Americans Initiatives,” attending the National Immigrant Integration Conference, &/or
showing their support by signing the National Mayoral Sign-On Letter should contact Alaa
Mukahhal, National Partnership for New Americans Citizenship Coordinator, via email at
alaa@icirr.org or phone at (312) 332-7360 x 223.
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Appendix: Resources for Municipal New Americans Initiatives:
Over the years a number of states, cities, & Mayors have supported naturalization efforts. Below is a
sampling of the resources available for use as local efforts are developed:
Los Angeles: City of Los Angeles – USCIS Initiative on Immigrant Integration
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas & Los Angeles
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have announced a unique partnership between the USCIS & the City
of Los Angeles focused on providing USCIS educational materials, highlighting the benefits of
U.S. citizenship & the process of naturalization, at city facilities & through city programs, as well
as a coordinated outreach campaign to reach Los Angeles’s portion of California’s nearly 2.5
million citizenship-eligible legal permanent residents.
A Letter of Agreement signed by Director Mayorkas & Mayor Villaraigosa recognizes the large
presence & important role of immigrants in California’s government, economy, & culture, & the
importance of an inclusive democracy with opportunities for participation by immigrant
populations.
Of note, the Letter acknowledges the unique opportunity provided by the high value of
education amongst immigrant communities & families to distribute information utilizing the
educational framework of immigrant communities in the city of Los Angeles.
The Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a partner of the National
Partnership for New Americans, promotes civic engagement amongst immigrant communities
in the Los Angeles region, home to more than 40% of California’s immigrant population, by
providing community education, community organizing, civic engagement, policy and advocacy,
and leadership development for youth, reaching 25,000 people annually.
Illinois & Chicago: Uniting America
Illinois has the most comprehensive municipal effort
in the country to assist eligible immigrants to become
U.S. Citizens. Over the past two years, the Uniting
America initiative, through a coordinated campaign in
partnership with the State of Illinois, the City of
Chicago, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee
Rights (ICIRR), & numerous governmental, business,
faith, & community partners, has assisted 58,000
immigrants in Illinois fill out naturalization forms as
part of the difficult & expensive process of assuming
the full rights & responsibilities of U.S. Citizenship.
At the city level, the City of Chicago, home to over
500,000 immigrants has an Office of New Americans
that acts as a resource for the immigrant small business community, improving access to city
services & expanding opportunities for immigrant entrepreneurs in the City of Chicago.
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Additionally, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has recently announced the Chicago New
Americans Initiative, a first of its kind comprehensive municipal effort to assist 10,000 eligible
immigrants become U.S. Citizens over the next three years.
Houston: Houston Citizenship Week
Currently in its fourth year, Houston’s annual Citizenship Week is a collaborative effort between
community & faith leaders & City of Houston seeking to increase understanding, awareness, &
cooperation amongst Houston’s diverse & international population, as well as showcase the city
as “a global, inclusive, vibrant place uniquely-positioned & highly attractive to do international
business.” Throughout the week, community events & programs, from film screenings &
cultural performances to moderated panels discussing Houston’s place in the global market,
raise awareness of citizenship, promote active civic engagement by Houstonians, & celebrate
“what it means to be a Houstonian & [a] citizen of the City of Houston,” where one in four
residents is foreign-born.
Of note in Houston’s approach to promoting civic engagement is its focus on the financial &
economic benefits of a diverse & inclusive city, particularly in that it makes Houston an
attractive place for international business & foreign investment.
Washington: Washington New Americans
A non-profit partnership between the State of Washington & OneAmerica, Washington New
Americans seeks “to promote successful immigrant integration by connecting eligible Legal
Permanent Residents (“green card” holders) to the information & services they need to
successfully pursue citizenship & become active members of our community.” Washington New
Americans hosts a series of Citizenship Days throughout the year in communities across
Washington State to assist
the public with citizenship
applications, free of charge.
By working closely with the
Washington Chapter of the
American Immigration
Lawyers Association
(AILA), Washington New
Americans is able to
provide information about
the naturalization process,
aid in completing a
citizenship applications, &
legal review of applications
by an attorney or an
accredited representative.
Washington New
Americans hosted a Flag Day Festival to honor new citizens & promote dialogue about what
being a citizen means to both the native-born & immigrant communities. Washington New
Americans has a hotline ((877)-926-3924) to answer questions about the naturalization
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process.
New York: NYCitizenship & One NYC One Nation
The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) has several “New Americans”-style Initiatives
designed to promote naturalization & citizenship in New York City. NYCitizenship, a
partnership between MOIA, USCIS, NYC Service, the Legal Aid Society, & CUNY Citizenship Now!
(Press Release), began in the fall of 2011 by providing free immigration information &
assistance to eligible City employees & members of their family who are lawful permanent
residents & seeking information on the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. Based its initial
success, MOIA plans to expand NYCitizenship to include citizenship-eligible parents of high
school students in the future. Through the One NYC One Nation initiative (Press Release & New
York Times Article), MOIA has organized Know your Rights & Responsibilities Forums,
“[highlighting] available city services & opportunities for civic engagement” for immigrants;
Neighborhood
Leadership Institutes,
training leaders in
immigrant communities
on the fundamentals of
organizing, fundraising,
& networking with local
leaders; programs
promoting financial
literacy amongst the
immigrant community;
& Immigrant Heritage
Week, celebrating the
diversity of New York
City. The New York
Immigration Coalition
(NYIC), a partner of the
National Partnership for
New Americans, works
to advance these goals. As a Partnership member, the NYIC has held numerous citizenship &
naturalization trainings throughout New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania & New Jersey for
service providers.
The National League of Cities has materials available online from their Municipal Action for
Immigrant Integration (MAII) program, “focused on promoting civic engagement and
naturalization among immigrant communities in cities throughout the United States.”
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