Tulsa is getting $100,000 over the next two years to help eligible immigrants become U.S. citizens.
Officials estimate there are around 10,000 legal permanent residents of the United States living in Tulsa County. They face many barriers to becoming U.S. citizens.
"For some, it would be cost, just for the application or accessing legal services. For a lot of people, it’s really about just knowing who you can trust and who can provide services to you to get through the process," said YWCA Tulsa Director of Immigrant and Refugee Services Diane Eason Contreras. "And then a third big barrier is just the actual naturalization exams."
The America is Home grant and matching funds from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, the Coretz Family Foundation, and the George Kaiser Family Foundation will help YWCA Tulsa offer more people things like citizenship exam classes, English lessons and reliable information about the naturalization process.
Contreras said some benefits for naturalized citizens are having more job opportunities and the right to vote.
"And then there’s a lot of research out there that’s shown that as people become naturalized, as a community and as individuals, they see increases in income, increased home ownership rates, increased college enrollment for their children," Contreras said.
Mayor G.T. Bynum said Tulsa should strive to be a beacon to the "best and brightest" in the world, but current discussions too often focus on illegal immigration.
"And we don’t spend enough time talking about the folks who are risking a great deal and sacrificing a lot and working really hard just for the chance to be citizens of the United States, living right here in Tulsa, and we want to be doing more for those folks," Bynum said.
The grant is part of the New Tulsans Initiative, steps the city will take to be more welcoming to immigrants.
