Travis County Commissioners Court Resolution
WHEREAS, between 1990 and 2008, Travis County has experienced a 305% increase in its foreign-born population;
WHEREAS, approximately 182,700 foreign-born individuals live in Travis County, comprising 18% of the county population, and only a little over one-quarter (27%) have United States citizenship status,
WHEREAS. United States citizenship has many tangible benefits for our neighbors and community;
WHEREAS, immigrants face a number of challenges with the Federal System of applying for citizenship, including overcoming language barriers and difficulty with the paperwork process, financial cost, lack of access to legal services, and adminstrative backlogs;
WHEREAS, the Immigrant Services Network of Austin (ISNA) is holding the first ever Citizenship Awareness and Screening Event (CASE) on September 18, 2010 to screen, educate and inform 600 Travis County residents about citizenship, and
WHEREAS, Travis County encourages those who are not citizenships to complete their quest for the American dream by becoming a citizenship of the United States of America.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT WE, THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2010 AS
“CITIZENSHIP AWARENESS MONTH”
IN TRAVIS COUNTY, AND ENCOURAGE ALL OUR RESIDENTS TO INCREASE THEIR AWARENESS OF CITIZENSHIP BY ENGAGING IN ACTIVITIES AND SUPPORTING PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE THE APPRECIATION OF AND APPLICATION FOR CITIZENSHIP IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SIGNED AND ENTERED THIS 7th DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2010.