CITY OF BRIDGEPORT TO RECOGNIZE “CITIZENSHIP DAY”
for more information, Contact: Rowena White (203) 576-7201, rowena.white@bridgeportct.gov
(Sep. 17, 2019) — BRIDGEPORT, CT – Today, on Citizenship Day, a day that celebrates individuals who have become U.S. citizens, Mayor Joe Ganim announces that Bridgeport will join “Cities for Citizenship.” Cities for Citizenship (C4C) is a national initiative of more than 85 participating cities and counties aimed at increasing citizenship among eligible U.S. permanent residents and encouraging investment in citizenship and financial empowerment programs.
Mayor Ganim stated, “Bridgeport is a city founded on immigrants, and continues to boast a population of rich cultural diversity. We are proud to join other municipalities to become a member of the Cities for Citizenship network, and proud to support our immigrant community members on their pathway to citizenship.”
Over 8.8 million lawful permanent residents (LPRs) are eligible to naturalize across the United States. Cities for Citizenship has helped to break down barriers for those who might miss out on applying for citizenship. In the last few years, the “America is Home” grant was launched to support new and emerging naturalization efforts in order to increase naturalization rates among the immigrant community. We continue to look back over the past five years of work of the Cities for Citizenship initiative and celebrate its impact with:
1,788,778 people who attended citizenship-related programming
48,283 people who initiated the citizenship process / applied for citizenship
42,463 people who received financial information (waiver, counseling, microloan aid)
30,079 assisted with financial empowerment services
###
Cities for Citizenship was co-founded and is chaired by Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot of Chicago, and Mayor de Blasio of New York City; together with National Partnership for New Americans, Citi Community Development as the Founding Corporate Partner, and The Center for Popular Democracy.
###
Lauren Lichac
Office of the Mayor | City of Bridgeport
Margaret E. Morton Government Center
999 Broad Street | Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203) 333-2843 office
(475) 225-5434 cell