The United States is a nation of immigrants united by a common creed and shared values. With 37 million foreignborn residents, the United States’ strength and vitality depends on the contributions of its newest members.
However, the integration of a population of this magnitude and diversity cannot be assumed. The pressing policy question becomes: what can be done to promote the integration of this record number of immigrants? A More Perfect Union: A National Citizenship Plan proposes a national program to naturalize the eight million immigrants who – based on their years as Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) – may qualify to naturalize, as well as the millions more who will become eligible in the near future.1
Citizenship is a significant marker of immigrant integration and a pre-condition to full membership in our constitutional democracy. As a practical matter, naturalization involves immigrants in a range of integration activities. Yet despite its benefits, the United States does surprisingly little to promote this process. In theory, we want eligible immigrants to naturalize, but in practice we do little to encourage or assist them.
A More Perfect Union: A National Citizenship Plan setsforth the resources, activities, and partnerships that would be required to naturalize as many eligible immigrants as possible. It calls for a national mobilization in support of citizenship, identifying the roles of government, immigrant service agencies, and other sectors of society in a coordinated plan. It describes a program that could serve as the linchpin of an emerging U.S. immigrant integration strategy.
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- Introductory Notes
- In Memoriam of Margaret Peggy A. Dean
- About Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
- About the Authors
- Methodology Used to Produce Report
- Interviewees for report
CHAPTER 1: THE NEED FOR A NATIONAL CITIZENSHIP PLAN
CHAPTER 2: THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF A NATIONAL CITIZENSHIP PLAN
CHAPTER 3: THE NATURALIZATION APPLICATION PROCESS
CHAPTER 4: BARRIERS & CHALLENGES POSED BY USCIS IN THE NATURALIZATION PROCESS
CHAPTER 5: SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO CITIZENSHIP THAT CONGRESS CAN ADDRESS
CHAPTER 6: THE CITIZENSHIP TEST
CHAPTER 7: PREPARING IMMIGRANT LEARNERS FOR CITIZENSHIP
- Different Learners, Different Services by Lynn Weintraub
- Competencies for Citizenship Teachers by Ann McDowell
- ESL and Citizenship Program Models by Susan Wexler
- In-Class Curricula Priorities for Integrated Citizenship Models by Gretchen Bitterlin
- Current Funding of Adult Basic Information/ESL Services by Lynn Weintraub and Linda Taylor
CHAPTER 8: CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL LOCAL CITIZENSHIP PLAN
CHAPTER 9: NATURALIZATION GROUP APPLICATION WORKSHOPS
- Citizenship USA
- Naturalization Pilot Project in Southern California
- Emma Lazarus Fund
- Central Valley Partnership for Citizenship
- ORR Refugee Naturalization Projects
- State of Florida Refugee Naturalization Project
- State of Illinois New Americans Initiative
- Citizenship AmeriCorps Project
CHAPTER 11: SECTORS OF SOCIETY SUPPORTING A NATIONAL CITIZENSHIP PROGRAM
- The Executive Office of the President of the United States
- The Congress
- U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
- The Office of Citizenship
- The Office of Refugee Resettlement
- State Governments
- City Governments
- Public Libraries
- Philanthropic Foundations
- Research Institutions
- Legal Institutions
- Immigrant-Focused Nonprofit Organizations
- Marketing and Outreach
- Faith Communities
- Civic Organizations
- The Businesses Community
- Labor Unions
- Preparing Naturalization Applicants for Active and Effective Civic Participation by Edward Kisam
- From the Oath of Citizenship to the Oath of Office by Ann Morse
- Patriotic Integration is the Key to Successful Immigration by John Fonte
- Effective Integration Requires Citizenship by Edwin B. Silverman
- Justice Denied: Inadequate Legal Aid for Low-Income Persons in the United States by Robert J. Rhudy
- Expanding Naturalization by Supporting Service Providers: The Role of Legal Resource Centers by Eric Cohen
- Investing in Our Workforce: The New Americans Initiative by Eva Millona
- A Chronology of Naturalization Funding in Maryland by Gail Kramer Mogol
- State Support for Citizenship: An Illinois Perspective by Fred Tsao
- Building Community, Building Trust: Citizenship Efforts in the Arab-American Community by Karen Rignall
- Citizenship for Seniors by Robert Moser
- Bringing Community Groups into the Citizenship Classroom in Formal Collaborations: Lessons from Chicago by Aliza Becker and Sandra Del Toro
- Teaching Citizenship ClasseS by Peter J. Slevin