San Antonio Celebrates 10 Years of Impact and Support of New Citizens
Published on September 15, 2023
San Antonio Joins Cities and Counties for Citizenship (CC4C) to Celebrate 10 Years of Impact and Support of New Citizens
SAN ANTONIO (September 15, 2023) – On September 17, Citizenship Day—a day that celebrates those who have become U.S. citizens—Cities & Counties for Citizenship (CC4C) is celebrating its tenth anniversary. From its inception as a group of three cities to a current network of over 110 city and county partners, CC4C has grown to become a major national initiative aimed at increasing citizenship among eligible residents and encouraging cities and counties across the country to invest in immigrant and refugee inclusion programs.
In honor of the ten-year anniversary and to encourage the more than 8.8 million eligible residents across the United States to naturalize, CC4C is releasing a video and hosting local citizenship events nationwide in participating locations such as San Antonio, TX; San Francisco, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Tulsa, OK; and Kansas City, MO.
The City of San Antonio and its partners are hosting two events locally this September as part of the Citizenship Day celebration:
Saturday, September 16 at 9 a.m.
Palo Alto College Ozuna Library, 1400 W Villaret
The clinic is an opportunity for eligible permanent residents to receive free assistance in applying for citizenship. Hosted by the City of San Antonio, American Gateways, National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association (SAYLA), the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Texas Chapter, the Mexican Consulate in San Antonio, and Alamo Colleges.
Tuesday, September 26 at 11 a.m.
Lila Cockrell Theater, 900 E Market Street
About 800 individuals are expected to take the oath to become American citizens in this naturalization ceremony. San Antonians are encouraged to attend to congratulate the new citizens and their families. Hosted by the City of San Antonio, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Earlier this year, the City sponsored one citizenship clinic and two naturalization ceremonies welcoming a combined total of 319 new citizens from 63 countries.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), there are currently 1,137 San Antonians currently pending various stages of the naturalization process, 4,242 residents naturalized in fiscal year 2022. So far this year, 4,083 residents have naturalized.
“San Antonio is proud to celebrate Citizenship Day by providing an opportunity for legal permanent residents to receive free assistance with their naturalization application. We are excited to witness 800 individuals take the oath and become American Citizens at the Lila Cockrell Center on September 26,” said City of San Antonio Immigration Liaison Mayra Montero. “The City of San Antonio is grateful to all those involved working diligently to assist San Antonians with their citizenship process and extends best wishes on a memorable observance of Citizenship Day as we continue to embrace and uplift our immigrant community.”
The City of San Antonio joined CC4C in 2020 and is celebrating its fifth year of supporting the immigrant community through the creation of the Office of the Immigration Liaison in 2018 and investing $150,000 funds each fiscal year for immigrant legal services and citizenship. These funds have supported 51 clients with full legal representation, including 33 bond cases granted.