PAN-ASIAN CITIZENSHIP CLINIC TARGETS COUNTRY’S FASTEST-GROWING IMMIGRANT POPULATION
Southern California home to over 300,000 Asian immigrants eligible for U.S. citizenship; Advancing Justice-LA urges all eligible immigrants to naturalize to protect their rights in the U.S.
From left to right: Mike Fong (Board of Trustees, LACCD), Vinh Ngo (Senior Vice President, Bank of America), Marvin Martinez (President, East Los Angeles College), Congresswoman Judy Chu (House of Representatives, 27th District), Councilmember Sergio Calderon (City of Maywood), Nasim Khansari (Citizenship Project Director, Advancing Justice - Los Angeles)
LOS ANGELES - On national citizenship day, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA) hosted their largest citizenship clinic of the year. Amid the Trump administration’s attack on immigrant communities, including the recent rescinding of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Advancing Justice-LA urges eligible individuals to not delay in applying for citizenship.
Southern California is home to an estimated 300,000 Asian immigrants eligible for U.S. citizenship. Of this, more than half live in Los Angeles County alone. In 2012, the number of legal permanent residents (LPRs) from Asia and the Pacific settling in Los Angeles was more than double that from Mexico. The only protection from deportation is having citizenship.
The Pan-Asian Citizenship event provided free citizenship services for over 150 registered attendees, including eligibility screenings, application and legal assistance, and photo-taking. The event also offers services in seven Asian languages in addition to Spanish and English.
“It’s clear there is strong motivation to naturalize among immigrants in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community,” said Nasim Khansari, director of Advancing Justice-LA’s citizenship project. “Our goal is to encourage as many eligible people as possible to naturalize and become a U.S. citizen. Now is the time to not only protect yourself, but to make your voices heard.”
“The Trump Administration has shown no sympathy for immigrant communities and, with the rescinding of DACA, undermines our core values as a nation,” says U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27). “It is important that every person who is eligible for naturalizing take the steps to become a U.S. citizen and strengthen their voice in our great democracy.”
Advancing Justice-LA’s citizenship team is available Tuesday through Friday to help provide application assistance. All staff are supervised by an immigration attorney or accredited representative. Individuals are encouraged to call Advancing Justice-LA’s toll-free in-language helpline to schedule an appointment:
Chinese 800-520-2356
Tagalog 855-300-2552
Korean 800-867-3640
Vietnamese 800-267-7395
Thai 800-914-9583
Khmer 800-867-3126
English/Other 888-349-9695
*Live helpline hours are Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Callers can leave a voicemail message all other times. Messages are typically returned within one to two business days.
