The Cities for Citizenship national initiative recently recognized the city of Tamarac as its 100th city and county partner.
The initiative works to increase citizenship among eligible U.S. permanent residents as well as encourage investment in citizenship and financial empowerment programs.
Co-founded by National Partnership for New Americans, Citi and the Center for Popular Democracy, the C4C network has grown from its three founding cities of Chicago, New York and Los Angeles to its current network of 100 cities and counties.
City Commissioner Mike Gelin championed Tamarac’s Cities for Citizenship membership.
“Tamarac’s growing diversity is one of our greatest strengths,” Gelin said in a statement. “I am the son of Haitian immigrants. I serve on a city commission with colleagues of Jamaican and Nicaraguan heritage. In Tamarac, we prioritize the importance of citizenship.
“We celebrate and support the unique needs of our multicultural community members and their contributions to the fabric of our City,” he said. “We strive to create an environment where residents can pursue citizenship ambitions with ease.”
Tamarac Mayor Michelle J. Gomez also highlighted the importance of joining the initiative.
“U.S. citizenship provides many rights and responsibilities, including the right to participate in our democracy through voting,” she said in a statement. “We know that among our 67,000 residents, about 40% of them are foreign-born or speak languages other than English at home. We are excited about this opportunity to further assist residents on the path to citizenship in our wonderfully multicultural community. Tamarac is truly proud to be Cities for Citizenship’s 100th partner.”
Since beginning in 2014, Cities for Citizenship has reached over 2.8 million people with citizen-related information. In total, over 50,000 individuals have received direct citizenship application assistance through C4C partners while over 30,000 people have received financial information and services through the network’s partners.
The Cities for Citizenship initiative’s co-chairpersons are Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Chicago Lori E. Lightfoot and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Visit citiesforcitizenship.com.
