Houston, TX, September, 2004 -

(August 2, 2004) The Citizenship Coalition of Houston, in collaboration with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) will conduct a Citizenship Workshop on Saturday, September 25, 2004, at the Christian Family Center located at 11000 Dairy Ashford, Sugar Land, Texas. The workshop, which seeks to assist immigrants with legal permanent resident status as they take the final step in their immigration journey, will provide one-on-one assistance with the N-400 Application for Naturalization.

According to Houston CIS Director Hipolito Acosta, all immigrants with legal status in the United States should apply for American citizenship as soon as they become eligible. “In these extraordinary times, the only way to guarantee your rights in this country is by being a U.S. citizen,” Acosta said.

Acosta said that the Citizenship Workshop is the first in the nation to enlist the assistance of the various networks within each ethnic group including various Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Nigerian, and Hispanic communities. Acosta attributes the success of the Citizenship Workshops to the various workshop partners.

Additionally, Acosta commended the success of the workshop to the leadership efforts of Catholic Charities’ supervising attorney Wafa Abdin, who has taken the lead in the planning and development of this workshop.

Abdin attributes the accomplishment to the outstanding work of Catholic Charities staff as well the immeasurable support of the workshop partners. “The outreach efforts offered by our workshop partners and their volunteers,” Abdin said, “are truly the links that ensure the success of this event.” She added that the September event is especially exciting due to the addition of various immigrant organizations from the Filipino, Indian, Arab and Bangladesh communities.

The Urban Institute estimates that there are 1.4 million legal permanent residents eligible to naturalize nationwide. Up to 500 legal residents who meet the requirements for citizenship will be assisted by volunteers and pro bono attorneys at the workshop. In lieu of submitting the applications by mail, CIS officers will accept completed petitions.

Individuals interested in taking advantage of this opportunity must be lawful permanent residents for five years or more—three years if the person has been married to and living with the same U.S. citizen for the past three years.

Space is limited and individuals must call 713.774.5002, Monday through Friday, to ensure entry to the workshop.