NCLR: Earning Citizenship Benefits Every American

NCLR: Earning Citizenship Benefits Every American
To celebrate Citizenship Day, NCLR highlights the benefits of citizenship and provides tips throughout the week to help make naturalization more accessible

Washington, D.C.—Aspiring Americans infuse new ideas and fresh talent into our economy, starting their own businesses, creating new jobs and increasing earnings for all American workers. Immigrants who are eligible to become U.S. citizens can benefit the economy even more by completing the naturalization process and earning full U.S. citizenship. As we look forward to Citizenship Day this Thursday, September 17, NCLR (National Council of La Raza) urges all eligible candidates to begin the naturalization process.

Naturalized immigrants often see an increase in their individual earnings by as much as 15 percent, which in turn generates greater economic growth and higher tax revenues that benefit all Americans. The U.S. is home to approximately 9 million permanent residents who are eligible to become citizens today. If all current permanent residents naturalized, they would add between $37 billion and $52 billion to the U.S. economy over 10 years.

“Completing the naturalization process has a ripple effect of benefits to families and to our nation that’s not just limited to improving the economy,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR. “Citizenship provides a sense of stability for immigrant families that enables them to become bigger contributors to society. By becoming grounded in a community, people are encouraged to work to improve where they live and to participate in our great American democracy by registering, voting and even by running for office. Citizenship is what makes us all Americans.”

For more information about how to become a U.S. citizen, visit
www.nclr.org/index.php/issues_and_programs/immigration/resources/immigrant_integration/.

Follow the NCLR blog and social media channels all week to learn more about the benefits of citizenship, resources that can help make the naturalization process more affordable and accessible, and next steps that lawmakers should take to better help immigrants integrate into American society. NCLR will also release new analysis of legislation aimed at streamlining the naturalization process and better integrating immigrants into American society.

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Latinos. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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