Release #353-00

 

Contact:	Sunny Mindel / Lynn Rasic (212) 788-2958
	Madeleine Tress, Immigrant Affairs (212) 788-7654

Acknowledges Contributions of Immigrants

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today announced that Sunday, September 17, 2000, is Citizenship Day in New York City. The Mayor highlighted the proud immigrant tradition of New York City and the value of citizenship.

"Since its founding as New Amsterdam in the seventeenth century, New York City has always been a haven for immigrants," Mayor Giuliani said. "Citizenship Day celebrates the great American traditions of immigration and naturalization. We owe much of the diversity and energy of New York City to the many immigrants who came here from all over the world to make a better life for themselves."

The Giuliani Administration continues to welcome and help integrate immigrants into the life of the city. The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs and Language Services works with newcomers, helping them to adapt to life in New York City and also links immigrants with City agencies. The Office also works with community organizations to improve services to immigrants and encourage their participation in New York's political, economic, social and cultural life.

After the 1996 federal immigration and welfare reform laws went into effect, Mayor Giuliani formed the Mayor's Immigration Coalition and, with the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs and Language Services, developed a national strategy of public awareness, education, and outreach. As a result, Congress restored SSI and Medicaid eligibility to approximately 420,000 elderly and disabled immigrants nationwide including an estimated 68,000 living in New York City and federal Food Stamps to elderly and disabled immigrants, and immigrant children who were in the U.S. before the new laws went into effect.

National advocacy by the Giuliani Administration also helped to increase funding to the Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1998 to help reduce the citizenship application backlog. In 1997, the Mayor established the Citizenship New York City program, which to date has assisted more than 22,000 immigrants throughout the City in filing for U.S. citizenship.

The Mayor continues to advocate for immigrants on the federal level. He has emphasized that the U.S. Congress should fully restore all federal public benefits denied to legal immigrants under the 1996 welfare reform law, as well as reform immigration law and strengthen the nation's commitment to legal immigrants.

Citizenship Day celebrates the 213th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States. September 17th marks the birth of the oldest continuously operating written constitution in the world.