Daniel Orozco arrived in the United States from Mexico at the young age of 12. From that point on, he attended his local public school and spent time with new friends; living a quintessentially American teenage life. The thought of needing to become a U.S. citizen never crossed his mind. It was not until years later, when he attended a workshop at his workplace, Evans Hotels, that he realized the opportunities and security that would come with applying for citizenship.
Evans Hotels, a family-owned hotel business operating in San Diego, began partnering with the National Immigration Forum’s New American Workforce in April 2015 to offer free citizenship services and English language training to their employees. When Daniel first heard about the services from his boss, he immediately thought back to his mother, who became a citizen many years before and who had benefited greatly as a result. She encouraged him to apply and make his American identity official.
Daniel has worked for Evans Hotels for almost 2 years, and is excited that they are offering citizenship services to their employees.
“[The program] helped me a lot. I’m so grateful that [New American Workforce] came to my worksite. I felt comfortable with them right away. It felt like I had known them for years. They’ll tell you right away if you qualify and help you with all of the legal papers – they’re humans, not computers, so that makes a big difference.”
Through services offered directly at the worksite, Daniel and his coworkers have been able to easily attain support through New American Workforce. With these types of opportunities provided by employers, stronger employee/employer relationships are built.