White House Announces the Restart of the Task Force on New Americans during the National Immigration Inclusion Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Partnership for New Americans and Welcoming America issues the following statement in response to the announcement today from the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) on reestablishing the Task Force on New Americans during the National Immigrant Inclusion Conference (NIIC):

“We are encouraged by the Domestic Policy Council’s announcement about restarting the Task Force on New Americans. With partners and coalition members across the country, we have been calling on the administration to become a leader on immigrant inclusion, and we are glad to finally see movement towards a more proactive and coordinated approach,” said Nicole Melaku, executive director of NPNA. “We know that building an inclusive and cohesive America is work that requires a deliberate investment from all sectors, including the federal government. Recognizing the importance of immigrant inclusion in harnessing the talents of America and fostering economically and socially vibrant communities is pivotal to the success of the Biden and any administration. We look forward to working with the DPC to move the Task Force on New Americans forward and to ensure meaningful engagement with our immigrant communities, which must be at the center of policies and policy-making.”

Rachel Perić, Executive Director of Welcoming America, said: “We celebrate the re-establishment of the Task Force on New Americans by the Biden Administration. Our coalition has long advocated for a federal inclusion strategy that fuels a welcoming infrastructure across all levels of government. The Task Force builds on the many years of advocacy and leadership by all those working to advance the civic, social, and economic participation of new Americans and will be a vital mechanism for reviving and driving these efforts across the federal government in partnership with communities.

As announced during a session on federal inclusion strategy at the conference, the Task Force seeks to work with a broad range of federal agencies on five lines of work: language learning and access, health and wellbeing, workforce development training, financial access and education, data and research. The Task Force’s objectives for the first six months are to 1) convene the various federal agencies with equity in immigration and review the efficacy of existing welcoming efforts, and 2) produce recommendations for expanding these efforts at the state and federal levels. A briefing with external stakeholders will happen Tuesday, December 13 at 12 p.m. ET via Zoom (registration link).

As national organizations working toward full immigrant inclusion, NPNA and Welcoming America applaud the reinstatement of the Task Force following a six-year pause. We look forward to concrete action at the federal level around making America a more welcoming place through continued dialogue and engagement that includes community-based organizations, as well as local and state governments, to center immigrant and refugee perspectives as part of the federal strategy.

The annual NIIC, the largest conference in the country focused on immigrant and refugee issues, celebrates its 15th anniversary, and it is the first gathering of the entire sector following this year's consequential midterm elections and takes place just days after the final Senate runoff contest in Georgia.

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Welcoming America is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs. We believe that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of our communities and shared future. Through the Welcoming Network, we work to help communities develop the roadmap they need to create welcoming policies and share new approaches to inclusion to create an environment where everyone can truly thrive.

The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a national multiethnic, multiracial organization that represents 60 of the largest regional immigrant and refugee rights organizations in 40 states. Its members provide large-scale services for the communities, to leverage their collective power and expertise for a national strategy. Learn more at partnershipfornewamericans.org.