NIIC 2015 a Huge Success!

Thank you for helping make NIIC 2015 such a great success!

NIIC Co-Hosts, the National Partnership for New Americans and the New York Immigration Coalition, along with our Executive Committee members, Make the Road NY and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, are grateful to you and everyone else for making the largest immigrant integration gathering in the country the greatest one ever. Crown-slider

In case you missed an event or want to share some highlights with friends and colleagues, we have documented NIIC 2015 in many ways. Here is a compilation of videos featuring plenaries, our keynote by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, special remarks by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, and U.S. Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, and the #NIIC Presidential Forum, featuring three candidates vying for the U.S Presidency, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Governor Martin O’Malley, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. We recorded audio from even more presentations and remarks, so visit NIIC’s SoundCloud page to choose from those options.

Catch NIIC 2015 participants like yourself in action in these photo albums of Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3. Huge thanks to our photography team of Carolina Kroon, Stephen Yang, Anja Hitzenberger, and Danica Mrozinsky for helping capture the power of our community! AfricanDance-slider

Our collective research, advocacy, expertise, and political might generated over 100 media hits across the country, highlights posted here, including The New York Times, Associated Press, The Guardian, The Washington Post, NBC News, Huffington Post, Fox News Latino, and the Wall St. Journal. #NIIC was trending on Twitter in Brooklyn during the conference with over 2,000 Tweets per day sharing what we were learning and who we were meeting.

We’ll be in touch later this year with updates for NIIC 2016 whic

Carolina Kroon for NIIC 2015

Carolina Kroon for NIIC 2015

h we’ll host with our friends at the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition!

Sincerely,

Joshua Hoyt
Executive Director, National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA)
Steven Choi
Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC)
Javier Valdes
Co-Executive Director, Make the Road New York (MRNY)
Eva Millona
Executive Director, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition

(Photo Credits: Carolina Kroon, Stephen Yang)

Senator Bernie Sanders to Address the National Immigrant Integration Conference in Brooklyn

The NIIC Executive Committee is excited to announce today that Bernie Sanders, Democratic Party candidate for U.S. President, will address the event on Tuesday, December 15 at 3:00pm. Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont, will address over 1,000 participants from across the country by video conference, including policy makers, advocates, educators, business leaders, culture shapers, community stakeholders, and more. Bernie_Sanders

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Governor Martin O’Malley, and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio previously announced that they will address the conference as well. Candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties have been invited to address the conference.

The eighth annual conference - “New American Dreams: Advancing Opportunity, Equality & Justice” – runs from December 13-15, 2015, and is co-hosted by the National Partnership for New Americans and the New York Immigration Coalition, along with Executive Committee members Make the Road NY and Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. NIIC, the largest immigrant integration gathering in the country, will be held at the New York Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge and aims to connect a bold and dynamic immigrant integration movement with a broader group of stakeholders to drive inclusion and impact together.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to address NIIC 2015, the largest national immigrant integration conference in the country,” said U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. “In America today, we need to enact immigration policies that will unite families, not tear them apart.  The United States is a great nation when we stand together, embrace our nation’s diversity, and work towards an immigration system that is fair and humane. Now is a very important time to be having these conversations.”

“We’re excited to welcome Senator Sanders to our national conference which is truly changing the way we shape policy around immigrant integration across the United States,” Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans said. “We look forward to hearing his views on immigration issues at this pivotal and historic moment in our nation’s history.”

“As the NIIC 2015 co-host, it is with pleasure that we welcome Senator Bernie Sanders to address the largest national immigrant integration conference in the country,” said Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, this year’s co-host for the conference. “In a time of great concern over intolerance and xenophobia, we are very excited to have three Presidential candidates addressing the 1,100 NIIC participants and give us their perspectives on the future of immigrant integration.”

Eva Millona, NPNA Co-Chair and executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition said, “We are delighted to welcome Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders to address the largest and most dynamic immigrant integration conference in the nation. In a time of great concern over exclusion and vitriolic language, we look forward to hearing from the Senator how he will be part of the conversation to shape sound immigrant integration policy that works for everybody.”

Javier H. Valdés, Co-Executive Director of Make the Road New York, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Senator Sanders to the NIIC, the nation’s most important annual event for discussing the issues facing immigrants across the country. We are eager to hear Senator Sanders’ views and platform on critical immigrant issues and how they tie into the broader conversation about economic and social justice that he has championed.”

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio to Address Over Thousand Attendees at NIIC in Brooklyn

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will give a keynote address at the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC), the largest immigrant integration gathering in the country, on Monday, December 14th at 9:30am in New York City. The Mayor’s keynote will speak towards why cities like New York will continue to invest in immigrants communities.

Mayor Bill de Blasio photographed during a portrait sitting on Tuesday, January 14, 2014. Credit: Rob Bennett for the Office of Mayor Bill de Blasio

Mayor Bill de Blasio photographed during a portrait sitting on Tuesday, January 14, 2014. Credit: Rob Bennett for the Office of Mayor Bill de Blasio

The eighth annual conference - “New American Dreams: Advancing Opportunity, Equality & Justice” – runs from December 13-15, 2015, and is co-hosted by the National Partnership for New Americans and the New York Immigration Coalition, along with Executive Committee members Make the Road NY and Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. NIIC will be held at the New York Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge and aims to connect a bold and dynamic immigrant integration movement with a broader group of stakeholders to drive inclusion and impact together.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “It is an honor to have the National Immigrant Integration Conference here in New York City and to be its keynote speaker. New York City is proud to be home to more than three million immigrants and to residents from every background and belief who speak about 200 languages. These cross-cultural exchanges enrich our daily lives, and are the source of our strength and our singularity. It is a privilege to welcome the NIIC and its attendees from across the country who are working to create the same welcoming environments in their communities. I applaud the NIIC Conference co-hosts, the New York Immigration Coalition and the National Partnership for New Americans, Executive Committee members, Make the Road New York and the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and all of their tireless community partners for promoting inclusivity and equality and, in so doing, upholding our most significant traditions as a city and a country.”

“As the NIIC 2015 co-host, we’re delighted to have New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio address this year’s conference,” said Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “This is the first year that NIIC will be held in New York City, America’s historical port of entry for immigrants and the cultural and financial capital of the nation. Together with our Executive Committee partners, we believe the NIIC in New York will help influence major policy, cultural, political, and business trends across the country, and we look forward to having our city’s leaders’ in the conversation about key integration issues facing America’s immigrant communities.”

Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans said, “New York City has always been a beacon to the entire world with its shining example of how to build a successful nation of immigrants. Mayor de Blasio’s administration is a continuation of this fine tradition, and we applaud the Mayor for his national leadership on immigration reform and immigrant integration. We are thrilled to host this year’s conference in New York and to feature the Mayor as a keynote speaker.

Eva Millona, NPNA Co-Chair and executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition said, “We welcome NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio to address over a thousand attendees at this year’s NIIC. We look forward to hearing from New York City’s Mayor on how we can successfully shape immigrant integration policy that makes our country greater.”

Javier Valdes, executive director of Make the Road New York said, “Under Mayor de Blasio’s leadership, New York City has stood at the forefront of immigrant integration efforts by implementing policies such as municipal identification cards for all New Yorkers and universal immigration representation. There is no better place than the NIIC for the Mayor to highlight the progress that our City has made and engage in the important dialogue about how to advance immigrant integration in cities and states across the country.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Address National Immigrant Integration Conference

The NIIC Executive Committee is excited to announce that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party candidate for U.S. President, will address the group on Monday, December 14 at 4:30pm in Brooklyn, NY. Candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties have bHRCeen invited to address the nearly one thousand participants from across the country, including policy makers, advocates, educators, business leaders, culture shapers, community stakeholders, and more. Congressman Luis V. Gutiérrez will introduce the Secretary.

The eighth annual conference - “New American Dreams: Advancing Opportunity, Equality & Justice” – runs from December 13-15, 2015, and is co-hosted by the National Partnership for New Americans and the New York Immigration Coalition, along with Executive Committee members Make the Road NY and Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. NIIC will be held at the New York Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge and aims to connect a bold and dynamic immigrant integration movement with a broader group of stakeholders to drive inclusion and impact together.

Conference organizers, who include leaders from the largest regional immigrant rights organizations in over 30 states, have invited 2016 presidential candidates to discuss and respond to the New American Dreams Platform. The Platform aims to broaden and deepen the current political discourse about immigration and, in the long run, ensure that all candidates be genuinely, robustly pro-immigrant.

“We are very pleased to welcome Secretary Hillary Clinton to the largest and most dynamic NIIC yet to address our communities and be part of critical conversations on shaping a platform for New Americans that includes a robust plan for immigrant integration,” Eva Millona, NPNA Co-Chair and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

“In this moment when other political figures are engaging the politics of fear, it is extremely significant that Secretary Clinton is joining us to defend American values and to strengthen our nation of immigrants,” said Joshua Hoyt, Executive Director of the National Partnership for New Americans. “We thank Representative Luis Gutiérrez for personally encouraging Secretary Clinton to attend our flagship event.” Gutierrez

The New American Dreams Platform will be launched at the conference which offers an opportunity for elected officials, policymakers, academics, community organizers, and national partners to engage in robust discussion and strategic planning. The Platform is comprised of six planks - citizenship, English language learning, education, the economy, health, and an inclusive society - and meet the needs of various New American constituencies, including naturalized citizens, legal permanent residents, undocumented immigrants, children of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and people of various countries of origin, skill, and education levels.

“We are delighted to have Secretary Hillary Clinton join us at NIIC to address over a thousand attendees from across the country who are eager to find solutions to some of the key integration issues facing America’s immigrant communiteis today,” said Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, the co-host for the 8th annual National Immigrant Integration Conference. “This year’s NIIC in New York will help influence major policy decisions heading into 2016 and we look forward to discussing the future of immigrant integration with Secretary Clinton, Governor O’Malley, and all the Presidential candidates for our nation’s highest office.”

Javier Valdes, Executive Director of Make the Road New York said, “The NIIC is the nation’s premier event for addressing the critical issue of immigrant integration. We’re thrilled that Secretary Clinton will join us to hear from community members and share her platform on how to ensure that immigrants can realize their dreams.”

Insider Suggestions for Your #NIIC NYC visit

The New York Immigration Coalition is looking forward to welcoming participants like you to the 2015 National Immigrant Integration Conference. To make the most of your visit to the Big Apple, we asked our staff for insider tips on things to see and places to eat outside the Marriott. We’ve listed most of them below (We know you won’t have time to do them all). Here’s a printable two-pager checklist to carry with you. Let us know if you have any feedback or further suggestions by commenting below.

BROOKLYN

Brooklyn Heights & DUMBO (walking distance)

Food near the Marriott:

Read more

Presidential Candidate Gov. Martin O’Malley to Address National Immigrant Integration Conference

We’re excited to announce that Presidential candidate Governor O’Malley will join us at the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC) to address our community and help us jumpstart a vision for immigrant integration that will help define the future of America.

We have invited all 2016 presidential candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties to address the largest immigrant integration gathering in the country and Gov. O’Malley is the first to accept our invitation. We’re asking candidates to discuss and respond to the New American Dreams Platform which seeks to define from an immigrant perspective what it means to be a successful nation of immigrants. The platform will be launched at NIIC and aims to broaden and deepen the current political discourse about immigration and, over the long run, ensure that all candidates be genuinely, robustly pro-immigrant.
You agree? Then register now for NIIC 2015 – New American Dreams: Advancing Opportunity, Equality & Justice – which runs from December 13-15, 2015, in Brooklyn, New York. Check out the complete NIIC schedule here. And prepare for more exciting announcements in the coming days!
We believe the NIIC in New York will help influence major policy, cultural, political, and business trends across the country, and we look forward to all candidates for our nation’s highest office following Gov. O’Malley’s lead to find solutions to some of the key integration issues facing America’s immigrant communities. Join us!

NIIC Will Address Why We Need To Welcome Refugees

In a week’s time, nearly a thousand people from across the country will gather for the National Immigrant Integration Conference 2015 (NIIC 2015). NIIC is taking place in a time of great turmoil: We’ve seen backlashes against immigrant communities from elected officials and presidential candidates. A rise in anti-refugee and Islamophobic rhetoric. And a pernicious culture of fear and intolerance descending upon communities across the nation.
Photo Credit: Thomas Hammond

                Photo Credit: Thomas Hammond

Against this backdrop, NIIC will address these issues head on by offering plenary presentations, panels and workshops that highlight the best strategies being used across the country to welcome refugees, including:
Will you be at NIIC to make the call for tolerance loud and clear?

Among some of the many leaders who will be joining the NIIC conversation December 13th to the 15th, here are some key speakers who will discuss why we need to welcome refugees:

There’s still time to register by clicking HERE.
Check out the conference schedule HERE.
Share on social media why you will be coming to #NIIC and to join us in welcoming refugees. #refugeeswelcome

Nearly a Thousand Expected to Attend NIIC

With NIIC only a few days away, our excitement is mounting to welcome you and nearly a thousand other policy makers, advocates, educators, business leaders, culture shapers, community stakeholders, and more from across the country!

The eighth annual National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC) - New American Dreams: Advancing Opportunity, Equality & Justice – aims to connect a bold and dynamic immigrant integration movement with a broader group of stakeholders to drive inclusion and impact together.

NIIC-Tour-Flatbush-Facebook

After registering for NIIC, sign up for one of our exciting tours for a taste of what immigrants bring New York City!

If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time, just click here!

From exciting new developments in adult education and access to health care, new approaches in integration in emerging immigrant communities, and efforts to empower New Americans to apply for citizenship, NIIC participants will discuss and tackle some of the key integration issues facing U.S immigrant communities today. Participants will together shape a platform for New Americans ahead of the 2016 Presidential elections.

Here’s some other friends and colleagues who are sharing our excitement:

Expressing support for this year’s NIIC, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “New York City has long been a city of immigrants – and that’s integral to what makes our city so great. We are committed to ensuring that all immigrants can build the lives they and their families deserve. It is an honor to welcome the NIIC and its attendees, policy-makers, and advocates from across the country who are working to create the same welcoming environments in their communities.”

NPNA Executive Director Joshua Hoyt said, “New York is a shining example to the nation of how to thrive through immigrant integration. We are thrilled to bring the National Immigrant Integration Conference to New York, where the Statute of Liberty has welcomed generations of New Americans. During this period, when even presidential candidates believe that they can score cheap political points by attacking immigrants and their children, our nation has much to learn from New York. The National Immigrant Integration Conference builds on our proud tradition as the most successful experiment in world history in building a nation of immigrants.”

Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition said, “We are so proud to be this year’s local co-host for the largest and most ambitious integration conference ever. With 11 tracks and dozens of panels on issues as broad as financial inclusion, healthcare, global migration, voter engagement, efforts in citizenship outreach, worker justice, and more, this year’s NIIC will highlight immigrant integration issues that we must prioritize and tackle in 2016 and beyond. It is also of great significance that this year’s conference takes place in what has historically been a key port of entry for immigrants and is the cultural and financial capital of the country. What happens in New York City influences major policy, cultural, political, and business trends across the country and we plan on using the wealth of expertise, discussion, and policy recommendations made at this year’s NIIC as a roadmap for our work moving forward.”

Javier H. Valdés, co-executive director of Make the Road New York said, “With the national political conversation about immigration turning ugly again, it’s more critical than ever that we convene this conference to discuss affirmative approaches to immigrant integration. And there’s no better place to hold these discussions than our beloved city of immigrants, where we have taken important strides forward, including the creation of municipal IDs for all New Yorkers, the nation’s first public defender program for immigrants facing deportation, and the removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from Rikers Island.”

Eva Millona, executive director of MIRA said, “As the co-chair of NPNA and the executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, I’ve been attending NIIC for 7 years. As a former co-host of NIIC, we at MIRA are proud to be part of a conference that is truly changing the way we shape policy around immigrant integration across the United States. We look forward to this year’s conference in Brooklyn and helping to jumpstart a vision for immigrant integration that we will carry on into the New Year.”

Commissioner Nisha Agarwal of New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) said, “As a member of the NIIC’s steering committee, we envision the NIIC to be a forum in which to support new Americans’ dreams. I loved attending the NIIC as an immigration advocate, and I am honored to now welcome the NIIC to New York City as Commissioner of MOIA. The NIIC provides an invaluable opportunity for us to hear from participants across the country, and we look forward to sharing New York City’s work to ensure immigrant families can access all of NYC, including our work on the nation’s largest municipal ID program.”

NIIC 2015 Schedule is Here!

NIIC-Dynamic

NIIC 2014 participants engage in strategic discussions in Los Angeles, CA.

Cutting-edge strategies. Creative approaches. Thought leaders shaping the national conversation. Practitioners innovating on the ground everyday. Culture makers and business leaders, advocates and researchers working together. That – and more – is what you can expect at the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC 2015).

Through over 50 sessions at NIIC – in our 11 issue-area tracks, 5 main-stage plenaries and numerous affinity group caucuses – NIIC 2015 will create the space to ask hard questions, build relationships and craft lasting solutions together. We are excited to share this first glance at our schedule for the conference, which kicks off Sunday, December 13 at 1:30pm and runs through Tuesday, December 15 at 5pm.

Here are just a few of the NIIC 2015 session highlights to look for:
•    Immigrants and the Public Imagination
•    Empowering Immigrant and Refugee Entrepreneurs through Financial Inclusion
•    Global Integration Trends and the Path Forward
•    Making the Law Work for Us: Winning Pro-Worker, Pro-Immigrant Policies and Building the Power to Make Them Real
•    Intersections Across Our Citizenship Movement
•    Educational & Workforce Success for DACA Youth: Making the Most of DACA’s Promise
•    Decriminalize. Decarcerate. Liberate.
•    New Voices in the Media: Non-English and Ethnic Media
•    Shifting Cultures on Immigration, Identity and Race

But that’s not all. NIIC 2015 will also feature opportunities to learn about New York City’s diverse immigrant communities through NIIC <3 Immigrant NY Tours across the city, film screenings, a conference Expo and more.

The stakes to build a truly welcoming, just and comprehensive approach to immigrant integration couldn’t be higher at this pivotal moment. Be part of the conversation that will shape the policies, platforms and practices America needs.

Join us. Register for NIIC 2015 now.

We can’t wait to meet up with you in December,

Tara Raghuveer, Policy & Advocacy Director, NPNA
Cynthia Greenberg, Conference Coordinator, NIIC 2015

P.S. For those registering 10 or more from a group, we are pleased to offer a special discount on registration costs. More info is here! Register your group now!

Charting the Path for Immigrant Advocacy, Together

“Serious moments call for serious discussion, and action,” writes Javier H. Valdés, Co-Executive Director of Make the Road New York in the Gotham Gazette. “And so it is with immigration politics in our country today.”

Make the Road New York, which builds the power of Latino communities to achieve dignity and justice, is a key partner on the NIIC 2015 Executive Committee along with the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, joining co-hosts NPNA and the New York Immigration Coalition.

The movement for immigrant justice, he writes, has clearly won tremendous victories in the last few years, including President Obama’s deferred action for DREAMers and for parents of US citizen children and others. Yet, we continue to confront intransigence in Congress and barriers to immigration relief. Valdés highlights NIIC 2015 an opportunity to come together to create a path forward:

This moment clearly calls for action—as immigrant groups around the country continue to mobilize against anti-immigrant forces and advocate for sensible federal, state, and local immigration policies—but it also warrants reflection.

And that’s why, this year, New Yorkers should be extremely excited that we’re hosting the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC, niic2015.org), the country’s largest annual conference dedicated to discussions about how to enrich our democracy by welcoming and integrating immigrants into the fabric of our nation.

To be held at the Brooklyn Marriott from December 13-15, the NIIC will bring together immigrant leaders and advocates from across the country to discuss issues like the implementation of deferred action, how to ensure workplace justice and workforce development for immigrant workers, and where our immigrant rights struggles fit into the landscape of other social movements.

And there’s simply no better place to have these discussions than New York. With roughly 3 million immigrants representing nearly 40 percent of the population, 45 percent of the workforce, and 49 percent of small business owners, immigrants are an essential part of our city’s dynamic economy and culture.

To read his entire article, visit here. For a Spanish version, see Forjando juntos el camino para los inmigrantes in El Diario.

Then register for NIIC 2015 and book your hotel today!