Citizenship
All in the (CLINIC) Family
Our commitment to supporting newcomers is personal and at CLINIC, we are inspired by friends who have overcome numerous obstacles to become naturalized US citizens. Saba Hailu is one such friend, who journeyed from aspiring citizen to new American. Saba’s determination strengthens our resolve to ensure that the foreign-born have access to opportunities for citizenship and civic participation.
An Immigrant Gateway Continues to Welcome and Inspire: Catholic Charities of Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York has a long history as an immigrant gateway city, and was home to many immigrants from Italy, Germany, Ireland, Ukraine, and Russia who arrived in the U.S.Fourteen CLINIC Affiliates Receive USCIS Funding for Citizenship Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Maura Moser, Director of Communications (301) 565-4830 or Email: mmoser@cliniclegal.org Silver Spring, MD (September 19, 2014) - The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) congratulates 14 affiliates that received funding through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fiscal Year 2014 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program. Twenty-five percent of the 40 primary grantees are CLINIC affiliates.
Celebrating Citizenship
Each year on September 17, we come together as a nation of immigrants to celebrate Citizenship Day. This is an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of being a U.S. citizen and recognize the many lawful permanent residents (LPRs) in our communities who are on their journey to becoming U.S. citizens.
Sharing the Gift of Citizenship
On September 17th we celebrate Constitution and Citizenship Day across the nation. This observance recognizes not only the signing of the Constitution but also the status of citizenship. In the world of immigration, status can be the difference between wealth and poverty, health and sickness, and admission and deportation.
Celebrating U.S. Citizenship
As we celebrate our country’s birthday and independence on the Fourth of July, many of us will contemplate what it means to be Americans. Being an American for the foreign-born goes beyond the ability to vote in elections or obtain a U.S. passport. Many immigrants already feel American at heart long before they take their first step to becoming naturalized U.S. citizens – a pre-requisite to vote and obtain a passport. Many of them have integrated into their communities long before – going to weekly church services, volunteering in their children’s schools, and paying their taxes.
Cambia tu Vida, New York
On March 2, 2014 I had the pleasure of partaking in the Cambia tu Vida Campaign media launch in New York City and experiencing the excitement brewing as community, religious, and government leaders gathered to promote naturalization as a benchmark of integration.
Widian's Story
Raised in a tiny village in Galilee, my father, the eldest of 5 children, was raised by loving parents who made a meager living as poor farmers. My mother, who was raised in an orphanage from a young age by a community of Sisters in Jerusalem, married my father at seventeen. During my childhood, my father worked as a mechanic and my mother as a teacher. While our home was filled with love, my parents recognized that their children would have better opportunities for education, advancement, and success in the U.S.
CLINIC Builds Capacity for Citizenship Services
CLINIC's National Capacity Building Project, funded by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Office of Citizenship, has provided technical assistance and funding to four local affiliate agencies to establish new programs in English as a Second Language (ESL)/citizenship education and/or naturalization application assistance.