***For Immediate Release***
April 15, 2015
Contact, Jeff Sheldon
Communications Director, Nebraska Appleseed
Office: (402) 438-8853
Mobile: (402) 840-7289
jsheldon@neappleseed.org
White House policy report encourages proactive integration of immigrants
Plan is a historic step toward creating the nation’s first federal integration strategy
Tuesday, the White House Task Force on New Americans announced a historic step toward creating the nation’s first federal integration strategy – one that recognizes the importance of local efforts to build welcoming environments where immigrants and long-time residents join together to create stronger communities.
Nebraska Appleseed and Nebraska Is Home, in coordination with Welcoming America, National Partnership for New Americans, and community-based partners around the country helped shape these recommendations.
The White House Task Force on New Americans – a formal interagency body formed as part of the President’s immigration actions of 2014 – was charged with developing a coordinated federal strategy to better integrate immigrants and refugees and build welcoming communities on strengthening civic, economic, and linguistic integration efforts.
“These recommendations are a milestone in creating a proactive federal integration strategy that will lead to stronger communities where all are made welcome,” said Christa Yoakum, Nebraska Is Home Coordinator. “Proactive integration efforts are very important because immigrants play a key role in the fabric of Nebraska and our nation. While local communities in Nebraska and around the country are realizing that being welcoming creates economic and social benefits for all, the federal government also has a unique role to play.”
Among the key strategies are:
- Building Welcoming Communities through initiatives that build bridges among immigrant and receiving communities;
- Strengthening existing pathways to naturalization and promoting civic engagement;
- Supporting skill development, fostering entrepreneurship and small business growth, and protecting new American workers;
- Expanding opportunities for linguistic integration and education.
Click here for the full report and fact sheet. More information – including a tell-your-story tool, a call to action to volunteer, and other resources – will be available later this week at www.whitehouse.gov/New-Americans.
Nebraska Appleseed, Nebraska Is Home, Welcoming America, and NPNA applaud the Task Force for their thoughtful report, including chapters on welcoming communities, citizenship, and economic and linguistic integration.
The Task Force aims to further strengthen the federal government’s integration efforts by making them more strategic and deliberate to outline the federal government’s goals to bolster integration efforts nationwide – including supporting the work of local governments and partners. The Task Force includes 16 federal departments, agencies, and White House offices.
Several additional allies have also submitted recommendations to the Task Force, including the Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, the National Immigration Forum, and Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Services. Click here to learn more.
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