Santa Fe Community to Celebrate Citizenship Day as Local and Statewide Efforts to Support Naturalization Expand

Somos Un Pueblo Unido and Santa Fe community partners will celebrate national Citizenship Day with an evening of music, food, community and an awards ceremony recognizing participants in Somos’ local citizenship program and the organizations and institutions working to make naturalization more accessible.

The celebration comes as Somos expands its ¡Ciudadanía YA! (Citizenship Now!) pro se naturalization program in Santa Fe and communities across New Mexico, while local governments, schools and community institutions deepen their partnerships to help eligible immigrants overcome barriers to U.S. citizenship.

WHEN:

Friday, September 18, 2026

5:00-7:30 PM

WHERE:

Santa Fe Community Convention Center (Courtyard, but will depend on the weather) Santa Fe, New Mexico

WHO:

Somos Un Pueblo Unido, in partnership with the City of Santa Fe, Contigo Immigrant Justice, Guadalupe Credit Union, Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe, NM Immigrant Law Center, and Adelante and other Santa Fe community partners, along with Citizenship Now! participants, immigrant families and community members. Speakers will also include NM House Majority Floor Leader Reena Szczepanski, Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia & NN Representative Linda Serrato.

 

BACKGROUND

The celebration reflects the continued growth of Somos Un Pueblo Unido’s Citizenship Now! initiative, which helps lawful permanent residents navigate the naturalization process through trusted community outreach, application assistance, citizenship interview and exam preparation and connections to resources.

What began as a community-based effort has grown into a broader strategy to build a local infrastructure for citizenship. Somos is expanding its citizenship work beyond Santa Fe to communities including Hobbs, Carlsbad, Roswell, Farmington and Taos, while strengthening partnerships with local governments, schools, financial institutions, adult education providers and other trusted community organizations.

That momentum is particularly visible in Santa Fe.

On September 8, the Santa Fe County Commission declared Santa Fe a “County for Citizenship” and joined Cities and Counties for Citizenship, a national coalition of over 118 local governments working to promote naturalization and immigrant civic inclusion.

On September 24, the Santa Fe Public Schools Board is scheduled to consider a resolution supporting “Schools for Citizenship” a new Somos-sponsored initiative. If adopted, the school district would join the City and County of Santa Fe in supporting community outreach to immigrant families about naturalization and the resources available to help them through the process.

Together, these partnerships are designed to make information about citizenship available where immigrant families already live, work, learn and seek services.

THOUSANDS OF NEW MEXICANS FACE BARRIERS TO CITIZENSHIP

New Mexico is home to tens of thousands of lawful permanent residents, including an estimated 3,000–3,500 Santa Fe County residents who may already be eligible to naturalize.

Yet eligibility does not automatically translate into citizenship. Immigrant families face significant barriers, including a shortage of affordable and trustworthy immigration legal services, application and legal costs, limited information about eligibility and the naturalization process, English and civics requirements, and fear and uncertainty created by increased federal immigration enforcement and scrutiny.

Somos’ Citizenship Now! program is designed to address those barriers by providing trusted, community-based assistance and helping eligible residents successfully navigate the naturalization process.

CITIZENSHIP BENEFITS ENTIRE FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES

Naturalization can have benefits extending far beyond an individual receiving a certificate of citizenship. U.S. citizenship provides the right to vote in local and federal elections, greater access to certain jobs and public-service opportunities, a U.S. passport and additional security and permanence for immigrant families. Citizenship can also expand opportunities to petition for qualifying family members and, depending on individual circumstances, can shorten or create pathways for some relatives to obtain lawful immigration status.

Research has also associated naturalization with stronger economic outcomes, including increased earnings and economic mobility. When eligible residents become citizens, communities can benefit from greater civic participation, family stability and long-term economic investment.