Pittsburgh Joins 10 Other U.S. Cities in Citizenship Initiative Supporting Obama's Action on Immigration

On Dec. 15, Pittsburgh and 10 other cities were scheduled to formally join Cities for Citizenship, an initiative launched by Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago in partnership with Citi, the founding corporate partner, which aims to increase citizenship among eligible U.S. permanent residents to forge more inclusive and economically robust cities.

Leading officials from Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chattanooga, Denver, Milwaukee, Nashville, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. will announce their active participation in this growing initiative at a special event during the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC 2014).

Pittsburgh's growing immigrant community has made significant contributions to the city and take pride in actively participating in the communities where they live. Taking a cue from cities that have been active on this front, the Peduto administration plans to work in partnership with city schools, nonprofits, and libraries to create citizenship corners in targeted areas across the city and support immigrants on their path towards citizenship.

Mayor William Peduto launched the Welcoming Pittsburgh Initiative in May to celebrate the city’s immigrant past and build a more welcoming future. An advisory council was formed in August to work on a long-term implementation plan to engage both existing Pittsburgh residents and new ones, and synthesize welcoming practices into city government and its partners in local business, nonprofit and community groups. Facilitation of the initiative is underwritten by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundations.

Additionally, next year the administration plans to host naturalization ceremonies at the City-County Building.

A recent report, Citizenship: A Wise Investment for Cities, by the Center for Popular Democracy, National Partnership for New Americans and the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII) at USC Dornsife, found profound economic benefits to naturalization.

Monday’s conference will feature a welcome from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a keynote address by Leon Rodriguez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Cities for Citizenship leaders, including Bob Annibale, Global Director of Citi Community Development and Microfinance.

Pittsburgh’s nonprofit and faith-based manager Betty Cruz is attending the conference on behalf of the city.

About National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA)
NPNA harnesses the collective power and resources of the country’s 20 largest regional immigrant advocacy organizations, aiming to advance the integration and active citizenship of immigrants to achieve a vibrant, just, and welcoming democracy for all. NPNA sponsors the annual National Immigrant Integration Conference and, in the past two years, NPNA partners have assisted over 50,000 immigrants to become U.S. citizens and pursue legal status.

Additional information may be found at www.partnershipfornewamericans.org | NIIC: http://www.integrationconference.org/ | Facebook: www.facebook.com/newamericanspartnership | Twitter: @npnewamericans

About The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD)
CPD promotes equity, opportunity, and a dynamic democracy in partnership with base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across the country. CPD builds the strength and capacity of democratic organizations to envision and advance a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial and economic justice agenda.

Visit www.populardemocracy.org and www.twitter.com/popdemoc.

About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.