Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new initiative yesterday called NYCitizenship, a public-private partnership that will provide citizenship assistance services at library branches across the city. The announcement was made in front of 100 new citizens as part of a naturalization ceremony hosted by City Hall. The goal is to increase naturalization rates in line with a nationwide campaign advocating for immigration integration initiatives.
“Citizenship is a vital piece of our citywide strategy to promote economic opportunity and equity – and cities are central to protecting and promoting the inclusion and diversity that make our country so great,” said de Blasio. “Citizenship is linked to increased wages, higher rates of homeownership, and other important factors in helping people unlock vital civic and economic opportunity. We’re proud to stand with cities and other leaders nationwide in expanding opportunity to citizenship for those who have long been hardworking, productive members of our country.”
Around 700,000 immigrants in New York are one step away from citizenship, according to the release. Nearly 50 percent of these New Yorkers are low-income. The City hopes that free access to citizenship services will promote economic mobility. Citizenship status has the potential to increase earnings and gives access to voting rights, which will in turn increase tax revenue and civic participation.
“NYCitizenship is an innovative program that will be a rich resource to those 700,000 New Yorkers who are one step away from citizenship,” said Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte. “It is a great way to leverage our libraries and make these services available to all that would want to access them. And because the city is pairing residents with free and credible legal services, it ensures a layer of protection so that this already vulnerable population is not being defrauded.”
The Mayor’s Office of Immigration Affairs will be working with City libraries to provide communities with information on applying for citizenship. Financial education will be offered as well to give new citizens guidelines for financial stability.
“Immigrants from all over the world turn to New York City’s libraries for free programs and resources to help them through every stage of the immigration process and beyond,” said Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda Johnson. “We encourage new Americans to visit their local branches for help in achieving United States citizenship, starting businesses, navigating the legal system and participating fully in the life of their city.”
Flatbush City Council Member Mathieu Eugene said, “New York City is a vibrant place filled with culture and character and we are incredibly lucky that people from all across the world want to build their lives here. All hard-working families and individuals who have chosen to make this city their home deserve to have the opportunity to become citizens—and many of our New Yorkers are very close to receiving citizenship. NYCitizenship is a crucial initiative that will make it easier for our neighbors to have access to beneficial resources that will help them complete their citizenship journey. We all know applying for citizenship is a complex process and I commend Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and our city’s library system for creating a vital program that will help hundreds of thousands of people.”
Mayor de Blasio launched the City’s first-ever Citizenship Week of Action, a week dedicated to encouraging more New Yorkers to get on the path to citizenship. The week will begin on September 17th, Citizenship Day, and end on September 22nd, National Voter Registration Day. Over 150 volunteers from community, faith, and labor organizations will come together to assist over 500 applicants from the immigrant community. Information about the benefits of citizenship will be distributed in multiple languages at over 100 events throughout the week. Volunteers can be found at worksites, houses of worship, train stations, schools, and other events going on in their communities. Some eligible residents do not know that they are eligible or have received misinformation. The City is hopeful that trusted community leaders will be able to reach out to these residents.
“The success of our immigrant communities depends heavily on the commitment of government to meet them where they are – to help them navigate the complex legal systems that are connected to our immigration policies. In New York City, government is ensuring that immigrants of all walks of life are able to access services that are relevant and in their communities. The partnership of immigration service providers and the NYC library systems represents a joining of forces that will undoubtedly prove to be useful for those 700,000 New Yorkers who are just steps away from citizenship. I applaud the de Blasio administration on this important step forward,” said Sunset Park City Council Member Carlos Menchaca, Chair of the Committee on Immigration.
“I commend the Mayor for his effort to provide comprehensive citizenship assistance services at library branches to increase naturalization rates. This will be a great asset in Sunset Park, Bay Ridge and other parts of my diverse multi-ethnic Brooklyn district. We must do all we can to help our newest residents become citizens and participate in all that this great nation provides,” said Sunset Park Assembly Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz.
Brooklyn will host several of these events. A Citizenship Workshop will be hosted by Make the Road New York, a not-for-profit, membership-led organization, at the Grand Army Plaza Library from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, Sept. 18. Participants will receive free legal assistance with filling out their application for U.S. citizenship. To register for this event, visit: www.CitizenshipWorks.org/register or call (888) 839-8682.
Brooklyn Public Library offers free ESOL/Civics classes for people 17 years and older. There are beginner and intermediate classes during the day, evenings, and weekends. A full list of events can be found at nyc.gov/nycitizenship.
