Oregon Participates in National Citizenship Campaign Kick-off

Salem, Ore. -- Last Saturday, Causa Oregon and PCUN participated in the National Citizenship Campaign Kick-off with the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) and other organizations around the United States. They trained 25 new Citizenship Coaches to help during Citizenship Assistance Events happening in April and June.

“We are very excited to have been a part of the national launch on Saturday”, said Luis Guerra, Causa’s Citizenship Assistance Program Coordinator. “It was inspiring to have the 25 leaders attend the volunteer training so that they can assist people who want to become U.S. Citizens.”

The training took place at Rural Organizing Project’s (ROP) Latino Retreat in Dayton. The retreat brought leaders together from different Latino-based organizations from around Oregon-- many from rural communities that Causa alone would have had difficulty reaching.

There are two (2) upcoming events in Oregon that Causa is coordinating with SOAR Immigration Legal Services– a branch of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO), Immigration Counseling Services (ICS) and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). They are as follows:

NE Portland
April 28th, 10 AM
St. Matthews Episcopal Church
11229 NE Prescott St.
Portland, Oregon

Salem
June 2nd, 10 AM
First Congregational
United Church of Christ
700 Marion St. NE
Salem, Oregon

For questions about Causa’s Citizenship Assistance Program, please contact program coordinator Luis Guerra at luis(at)causaoregon.org or at Causa’s hotline at 1-855-884-2287

About the Campaign and Causa’s Citizenship program

The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), a partnership of eleven largest immigrant rights coalitions and organizations working on immigrant integration in the United States, The partnership has a goal of naturalizing 3650 citizens, assist almost 13,000 legal permanent residents, and outreach to almost 73,000 people in 2012.

As partner with NPNA, Causa is taking action to help Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) in Oregon because as a Naturalized Citizen, individuals will be able to vote in elections, serve on juries, be elected to public office, have the ability to be involved in government decisions, and have ability to sponsor family members to immigrate to the United States, just to name a few.

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National Partnership for New Americans Helps Train 1,000 Volunteers to Provide Citizenship Services Nationwide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2012

Contact:
Eva Millona, Partnership Co-chair, 508-615-7684

National Partnership for New Americans Helps Train 1,000 Volunteers to Provide Citizenship Services Nationwide

There are over 8 million lawful permanent residents (LPRs) across the country eligible to become citizens,  less than 1 million of them naturalize every year. Starting this Saturday, the National Partnership for New Americans will be changing this dynamic by training long-term volunteers nationwide who are committed to transforming lawful permanent residents into active citizens.

Last year, 12 prominent national grassroots, immigrant rights advocacy organizations in partnership joined to create the National Partnership for New Americans in order to promote and support citizenship in partnership with the Open Society Institute. The Partnership is outreaching into new immigrant communities across the country in an effort to promote a more welcoming democracy in which new Americans achieve equal opportunity and are a powerful and organized constituency.

The Partnership is launching its ambitious citizenship program, Become a Citizen Now!, to train over 1,000 Citizenship Coaches leading up to the official launch on Saturday March 24, 2012. These citizenship coaches will build national capacity over the next year to meet the Partnership’s collective goal of naturalizing 3650 citizens, assist almost 13,000 legal permanent residents, and outreach to almost 73,000 people in 2012.

Citizenship Coaches are volunteers who believe that immigration makes America stronger and will donate their skills at citizenship clinics across the country. This Saturday’s nationwide training will enable coaches to help LPR’s throughout the citizenship process, including completing N-400 applications, legal screening, recruiting and coordinating volunteers, and other event logistics.

“The Partnership brings together local energy and volunteer boots on the ground to make a tangible impact nationwide, with real numbers,” said Joshua Hoyt, Co-Chair of the Partnership and Chief Strategic Executive of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “We have a deep reach into immigrant communities that understands the needs while creating opportunities for them to become citizens and active in their communities.”

The Partnership is also announcing the launch of a new citizenship website in English and Spanish, www.becomeacitizennow.org and www.hazteciudadanoahora.org/, as a tool to assist eligible legal permanent residents to become citizens.

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The National Partnership for New Americans advances the integration and active citizenship of immigrants to achieve a vibrant, just, and welcoming democracy for all.

PARTNERS:
CASA DE MARYLAND
CAUSA
COALITION FOR HUMANE IMMIGRANT RIGHTS OF LOS ANGELES (CHIRLA)
COLORADO IMMIGRANT RIGHTS COALITION (CIRC)
FLORIDA IMMIGRANT COALITION (FLIC)
ILLINOIS COALITION FOR IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS (ICIRR)
MASSACHUSETTS IMMIGRANT AND REUFGEE ADVOCACY COALITION (MIRA)
NATIONAL KOREAN AMERICAN SERVICE & EDUCATION CONSORTIUM (NAKASEC)
NEW YORK IMMIGRATION COALITION (NYIC)
ONEAMERICA
TENNESSEE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS COALITION (TIRRC)
VOCES DE LA FRONTERA

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Citizenship Assistance Event to be held in Cornelius this Saturday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2012

CONTACT:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director, (503) 269-5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director, (503) 488-0263

Citizenship Assistance Event to be held in Cornelius this Saturday

Salem, Ore.-- This Saturday, Causa Oregon will hold it's first in a series of Citizenship Assistance Events with the experience and support of local partners and the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA). The event is part of a national Citizenship Campaign.

Similar efforts are taking place in California, Washington, Colorado, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Florida, New York, Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts. NPNA represents the eleven largest immigrant rights coalitions and organizations working on immigrant integration in the US.

Causa is taking action to help Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) in Oregon because as a Naturalized Citizen, individuals will be able to vote in elections, serve on juries, be elected to public office, have the ability to be involved in government decisions, and have ability to sponsor family members to immigrate to the United States, just to name a few.

With the new Citizenship Program, Causa aims to assist 125 eligible Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) with legal review of their N-400 application and provide general citizenship outreach to 4,000 eligible LPR's across the State of Oregon.
To maximize our outreach efforts, Causa is partnering with community organizations and local ethnic media. Local legal service providers will also provide technical assistance and legal overview for group processing events.

There are three (3) upcoming events in Oregon that Causa is coordinating with SOAR Immigration Legal Services-- a branch of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO), Immigration Counseling Services (ICS) and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). They are as follows:

Cornelius
March 17th, 10 AM
United Methodist Church
1095 South Beech St.
Cornelius, Oregon

NE Portland
April 28th, 10 AM
St. Matthews Episcopal Church
11229 NE Prescott St.
Portland, Oregon

Salem
June 2nd, 10 AM
First Congregational
United Church of Christ
700 Marion St. NE
Salem, Oregon

For more questions about Causa's Citizenship Program, please contact program coordinator Luis Guerra at luis(at)causaoregon.org or at Causa's hotline at: 855-884-2287

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Causa, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Organization, is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit http://www.causaoregon.org/

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