Ten Major U.S. Cities to Join Cities for Citizenship Initiative at National Event

Media Advisory December 11, 2014

Contact:

USCIS Press Office, (202) 272-1200

Oliver DelGado (City of LA), (213) 978-0741, Oliver.DelGado@lacity.org

Kamran Mumtaz (Citi Public Affairs), (212) 793-7682, kamran.mumtaz@citi.com

Shena Elrington (CPD), (917) 239-2822, selrington@populardemocracy.org

Jorge-Mario Cebrera (NIIC), (213) 353-1748, jmcabrera@chirla.org

For NIIC 2014 media credentials, please contact Charlie McAteer (NPNA), (917) 696-1321, cmcateer@weareoneamerica.org

Ten Major U.S. Cities to Join Cities for Citizenship Initiative at National Event

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, USCIS Director Leon Rodriguez, and Felicia Escobar, immigration advisor to the President, will join 1,000 advocates and experts at immigrant integration conference this month in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – On Monday, December 15, 2014, ten major U.S. cities will join Cities for Citizenship (C4C), an initiative launched by the mayors of Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago with support from the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) and Citi, the founding corporate partner, in September. C4C, a large-scale naturalization initiative, aims to help cities expand their citizenship programs to help thousands of immigrants naturalize.

A recent report, Citizenship: A Wise Investment for Cities, by the Center for Popular Democracy, National Partnership for New Americans and the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII) at USC Dornsife, found profound economic benefits to naturalization for both immigrants and the cites where they live.

Leading officials from Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chattanooga, Denver, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. will announce their active participation in C4C at a special event during the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC 2014). This action-packed plenary will feature a welcome from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a keynote address by Leon Rodriguez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and C4C leaders.

"There is growing momentum in America’s leading cities for promoting the full inclusion of immigrant communities," said Shena Elrington, Director of Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice Policy at CPD, "We applaud these cities’ leadership in supporting citizenship programs and initiatives that will help tens of thousands of immigrants successfully navigate the naturalization process. In joining C4C, these cities are sending a message that they are welcoming and inclusive to all."

WHAT:

Cities for Citizenship Plenary at the National Immigrant Integration Conference

WHEN:

8:00am-10:00am, Monday, December 15

WHERE:

Los Angeles Convention Center 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

WHO:

- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti;

- Angelica Salas, Executive Director, CHIRLA;

- Manuel Pastor, Co-Director, University of Southern California's Center for the Study of

Immigrant Integration

- Nisha Agarwal, New York City, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs;

- Tonantzin Carmona, Chicago, Director of the Office of New Americans;

- Linda Lopez, Los Angeles, Chief of the Office of Immigrant Affairs,

- LA Mayor's Office at City of Los Angeles; Monica Fuentes, Atlanta,

- Chief Service Officer at City of Atlanta

- Jennifer Rodriguez, ‎Executive Director, Mayor's Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs at City

of Philadelphia

- Joshua Hoyt, Executive Director, NPNA

-Shena Elrington, Director of Immigrant Rights & Racial Justice Policy, Center for Popular

Democracy

- Bob Annibale, Global Director, Citi Community Development and Microfinance

- Leon Rodriguez, Director, USCIS

- Gustavo Torres, Executive Director, CASA de Maryland

###

About The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) CPD promotes equity, opportunity, and a dynamic democracy in partnership with base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across the country. CPD builds the strength and capacity of democratic organizations to envision and advance a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial and economic justice agenda.

About National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA)

NPNA harnesses the collective power and resources of the country’s 20 largest regional immigrant advocacy organizations, aiming to advance the integration and active citizenship of immigrants to achieve a vibrant, just, and welcoming democracy for all. NPNA sponsors the annual National Immigrant Integration Conference and, in the past two years, NPNA partners have assisted over 50,000 immigrants to become U.S. citizens and pursue legal status.

Additional information may be found at www.partnershipfornewamericans.org | NIIC: http://www.integrationconference.org/ | Facebook: www.facebook.com/newamericanspartnership | Twitter: @npnewamericans

About Citi Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.