With more than eight million legal permanent residents eligible to apply for naturalization, the campaign coordinates more than a dozen naturalization workshops across the nation

WASHINGTON, DC--Leaders of the historic ya es hora iudadana! (It's time, Citizenship!) Campaign will announce a series of naturalization workshops in 12 cities across the country on April 17 and 24, 2010, in celebration of the American Immigration Lawyers Association's (AILA) National Day of Citizenship.

The partners of the ya es hora Campaign contributed to the record 1.4 million immigrants realizing their dream of applying for U.S. citizenship in 2007," said Arturo Vargas, Executive Director of the NALEO Educational Fund. "We are proud this year to continue this work and our partnership with AILA, whose member attorneys share their extensive legal expertise with those applying for naturalization."

"We are honored to extend our partnership with the ya es hora campaign as we celebrate our Fourth Annual National Day of Citizenship," said Crystal Williams, Executive Director of AILA. "The campaign is a terrific vehicle for extending the reach of our pro bono legal services to those taking the step towards becoming U.S. citizens."

"The desire of legal permanent residents to become full participants in the political process is clear, and we look forward to helping many more families move along the path to naturalization," said Janet Murgua, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza). "Civic engagement in the immigrant community has been strong for the 2010 Census and recent elections, and we know it will continue to grow."

"The Latino community understands that as U.S. citizens, people can help shape the future of this country," said Ben Monterroso, Executive Director of Mi Familia Vota Education Fund. "The work of local community organizations and AILA chapters in this campaign is important because they provide first-hand assistance and information about naturalization to make the process accessible."

For a list of the upcoming ya es hora iudadana! workshops, please click here or email lescobedo@naleo.org. To find out if there is a workshop near you, call (888) 839-8682.

About ya es hora iudadana!
ya es hora iudadana! is an unprecedented national campaign coordinated by an alliance of national and local partners across the United States to inform, educate, and motivate eligible legal permanent residents to apply for U.S. citizenship. For more information on ya es hora, please visit www.yaeshora.info.

About SEIU
With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers -- not just corporations and CEOs -- benefit from today's global economy.

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