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Following Public Agenda's pioneering 2002 survey of immigrants in "Now That I'm Here," this new study, "A Place to Call Home: What Immigrants Say Now About Life in America," provides a thoughtful and probing analysis of current views immigrants hold towards the United States, as well as offers trend data to support themes from our earlier study. As the nation begins yet another effort to reform immigration policy, it will be important to understand the attitudes of those most affected by new policy: immigrants themselves. With that in mind, "A Place to Call Home" examines what brings people here and what they think once they arrive. The study was conducted with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Provides insightful discussion of why migration occurs and assesses major theories of how immigrants incorporate into receiving society. Analyzes detailed evidence on successful economic, linguistic, and social incorporation among contemporary immigrant groups; discusses how increased racial and ethnic diversity created by immigration may blur the racial divide, transforming the United States into a multi-ethnic, multi-racial society.
From the infamous "melting pot" to segmented assimilation to an identity-based model, explore the various ways academics conceptualize assimilation.
How can societies that welcome immigrants from around the world create civic cohesion and political community out of ethnic and racial diversity? Providing a comparative perspective on how the United States and Canada encourage foreigners to become citizens, based on vivid in-depth interviews with Portuguese immigrants and Vietnamese refugees in Boston and Toronto and on statistical analysis and documentary data, this book shows that greater state support for settlement and an official government policy of multiculturalism in Canada increase citizenship acquisition and political participation among the foreign born.
This book describes the growth and population characteristics of immigrants in new settlement states and examines the implications for the integration of immigrants moving into areas that lack a tradition of receiving newcomers. It Pprovides case studies of new immigrant settlements in North Carolina, Atlanta, Minnesota, Virginia, Utah, and Arkansas. The book aims to improve communication between immigrants and the institutions they interact with, and enhance the flow of information between communities facing similar challenges in different regions.
In 2003, the Fund for New Citizens began a Capacity-Building Initiative to strengthen immigrant-led groups in New York City by enabling them to address critical management issues. By providing grantees with both grants and technical assistance, the Fund aimed to help individual grantees strengthen their programs and expand their budgets, while also increasing the groups' individual and collective capacity to advocate on behalf of their constituents. From 2003 to 2007, the Initiative's 27 grantees took on a range of projects related to fiscal management, technology, fundraising, leadership development, and governance.
The aim of this report is to gauge how the Initiative has affected grantees, individually and collectively, over the past five years. In short: What kind of results has the Capacity-Building Initiative produced? The report seeks not only to highlight the key factors that bring an organization to the next level of growth and sustainability, but also to illustrate the effect the Initiative has had on grantees' ability to advocate on behalf of their constituents.
This publication offers a glimpse of the learning journey that took place for a group of GCYF members over an eight-month period. In this publication, we synthesized the collective learning that emerged and relayed some of the most important strategies for success that we uncovered. In an attempt to make the information presented in this publication as accessible as possible for funders, GCYF also developed a companion learning kit, which includes power point presentations on the subject, a planning guide, discussion guide and resource guide.
Children in immigrant families account for nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of all children as of 2010, and the vast majority (88 percent) are U.S. citizens. In fact, children of immigrants account for nearly the entire growth in the U.S. child population between 1990 and 2008.1 This policy brief draws on key indicators from the Foundation for Child Development Child Well-Being Index (CWI), as well as additional data, to highlight both similarities and differences in the circumstances of children in immigrant and native-born families.
Advances in translation and interpretation technology have given language access professionals a multitude of options for breaking down language barriers. However, with different and seemingly complex types of technologies now available, selecting the right technology system can be a challenge. And because language access needs vary immensely, rarely do agencies or service organizations have translation and interpretation needs that can be met the same way. This report provides an overview of the translation and interpretation technologies in use and available, based on interviews with service providers.
This study examines immigrant integration through the lens of community-based organizations. Based on interviews with nonprofit leaders and an analysis of data from the National Center for Charitable Statistics, the study found that immigrant-serving nonprofits provide a wide range of programs and services to foreign-born communities which promote the social and political mobility of newcomers. Findings also suggest a potential spatial mismatch between immigrant-serving organizations and the people they serve. The organizations are concentrated in the metropolitan area while immigrant populations are growing in the outer suburbs. Moreover, different political and administrative structures and policies affect the ability of these nonprofits to serve their constituents.
The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) has released Crossing Boundaries, Connecting Communities: Alliance Building for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice. Produced with support from the Hill-Snowdon Foundation, Open Society Institute and Public Interest Projects, this new report includes detailed case studies of organizations that are forging effective cross racial alliances between immigrant and native-born communities in order to build power and win just policies and practices in their regions. The report features current and former HSF grantee partners, such as CASA de Maryland, Highlander Research and Education Center, the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance and the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance. A tool for both funders and practitioners, this report documents the range of creative strategies being employed to create authentic relationships between diverse constituents. It concludes with recommendations aimed attracting more resources for this innovative, yet under-funded, community strengthening strategy.
Trends in the U.S. economy and labor force over the past 30 years have implications for the workforce and for low-wage workers and their families in particular. This article discusses the increased diversity in the workforce, the growing need for low-skilled workers, the skills gap between high- and low-skilled workers, and the number of working poor in the United States.
New legislation addressing the U.S. immigration system and its policies failed to pass Congress in 2010, yet there are was to improve the functioning of the system through the administrative branch of government. This report outlines recommendations for the Obama administration including: establishing uniform enforcement priorities and defining what constitutes effective border control, strengthening immigrant integration policy creation and implementation, allowing applicants for immigrant visas to file in the United States and making use of prosecutorial discretion in removal proceeding filings. Each of the recommendations can be implemented by the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice (DOJ) and the White House.
Hispanic children often encounter challenging environments in which to grow up including high poverty rates, limited access to health and social services, an education achievement gap, and hostility toward immigrant families. Meanwhile, public policy impacts their neighborhoods, families, and schools. This volume explores the challenges confronting Hispanic youth and the policy agenda that could improve these children's lives.
Recognized for its superb portrayal of immigration and immigrant lives in the United States, this book probes the dynamics of immigrant politics, examining questions of identity and loyalty among newcomers, and explores the psychological consequences of varying modes of migration and acculturation. The authors look at patterns of settlement in urban America, discuss the problems of English-language acquisition and bilingual education, explain how immigrants incorporate themselves into the American economy, and examine the trajectories of their children from adolescence to early adulthood. With a vital new chapter on religion--and fresh analyses of topics ranging from patterns of incarceration to the mobility of the second generation and the unintended consequences of public policies--this updated edition is indispensable for framing and informing issues that promise to be even more hotly and urgently contested as the subject moves to the center of national debate.
The school system provides numerous opportunities and challenges for immigrant integration, and as a place where many immigrants interact the most with their communities, it can play an important role in integration. This guide, intended for school administrators, district administrators, and teachers provides specific recommendations for promoting immigrant integration in schools.
The global economic downturn is affecting the public sector in Europe and rising debt levels will impact public spending in the future. Many European countries experienced economic growth as a result of immigration in the early 21st century, including Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Perceptions of immigration in the context of growing unemployment rates has caused several countries to consider or adopt stricutre immigration policies and question the so-called multicularalism model of integration.
The Migration Policy Institute's Transatlantic Council on Migration conducted a questionnaire to gauge government reactions to integration organization, financing, and programming across Europe. This report is partly informed by this survey and identifies areas of concern over the next decade and identifies current integration practices of governments.
This report looks at the challenges and opportunities of immigrant integration in Los Angeles County. It seeks to frame the debate and future policy with a careful grounding in the facts, using data collected from both secondary sources and insights gleaned from a series of focus groups and interviews. The intended audience is broad - civic and business leaders, immigrant advocates, public officials, and other interested parties - but we make a special effort here to spell out what a philanthropic agenda might be for promoting immigrant integration in Los Angeles.
As America experiences its fourth large wave of immigration, questions about how well immigrants are integrating and how quickly they are becoming part of society continue to dominate public debate. Immigrant integration is a complex process, however this report finds that newcomers are integrating fairly well according to five main indicators: language proficiency, socioeconomic attainment, political participation, residential locale, and social interaction with host communities. Adapting to American society varies for each ethnic group and also by state. In addition to exploring each of these dimensions the report examines the policy context for immigrant integration and looks ahead to the impact of continuing America's laissez faire approach to immigrant integration.
Reports on immigrant experiences and ability to resettle in United States, based on in-depth interviews with 230 immigrants in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, representing 19 countries. Combination of data and extensive quotes portrays danger of border crossing, difficulty of obtaining legal status, workplace discrimination, and lack of access to services. Recommends states and federal government work together to create paths to citizenship, strengthen worker protections, broaden opportunities for immigrants to become part of community life, and protect immigrants from discrimination.
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