Last week, the city of Houston honored Sept. 17 as Citizenship Day through this proclamation
On Sept. 17, Houston Mayor Annise Parker announced the debut of “Citizenship Corner” information displays available at select city libraries. Houston is one of the latest of eight cities to enter into a formal agreement with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to raise public awareness about the process of becoming a citizen and the rights, responsibilities and importance of citizenship.
These Citizenship Corners will provide lawful permanent residents (LPRs) with free USCIS study materials and community resources, which are also available online.
“Houston is the home of a significant number of legal permanent residents who are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship,” Mayor Parker said in a press release Sept. 17. “Our libraries are the perfect place for making official information readily available to this population. Citizenship Corner is about helping fellow Houstonians access the basic information they need for successful integration as contributing members of our community.”
Nearly 380,000 citizenship-eligible LPRs live in Houston, where local New Americans Campaign partners regularly collaborate with the City of Houston’s Department of Neighborhoods, one of the administrators and curators of the new Citizenship Corners.
The announcement of the Citizenship Corner initiative took place as the city recognized local New Americans Campaign partners with a proclamation declaring Sept. 17 Citizenship Day. The proclamation was presented to campaign partners NALEO Educational Fund and Neighborhood Centers, Inc., during a citizenship phone bank held at the local Univision affiliate.
Representatives from NALEO Educational Fund and Neighborhood Centers, Inc. receive the Citizenship Day proclamation
“We were thrilled to be recognized by the city on Citizenship Day,” said Claudia Ortega-Hogue, Texas and Southwest Regional Director of Civic Engagement at NALEO Educational Fund and site lead for the New Americans Campaign in Houston. “Citizenship is an important step for the nearly 380,000 citizenship-eligible LPRs in the Houston area, and we are excited to continue working with the city and the new Citizenship Corners to integrate these individuals into our communities.”