Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-First Century
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Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century A Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on New Americans U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL EDITION NOTICE Use of ISBN This is the Official U.S. Government edition of this publication and is herein identified to certify its authenticity. Use of the ISBN 978-0-16-082095-3 is for U.S. Government Printing Office Official Editions only. The Superintendent of Documents of the U.S. Government Printing Office requests that any reprinted edition clearly be labeled as a copy of the authentic work with a new ISBN. The information presented in Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century: A Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on New Americans is considered public information and may be distributed or copied without alteration unless otherwise specified. The citation should be: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Task Force on New Americans, Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century: A Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on New Americans, Washington, DC 2008. ISBN 978-0-16-082095-3 F ro as le yb t eh S epu ri tn e edn tn fo D co mu e tn s , .U S . G evo r emn tn P ri tn i gn O ffice 90000 I tn er en t: skoob t ro e . opg . vog P enoh : lot l f ree ( 668 ) 215 - 0081 ; D C a rea ( 202 ) 215 - 0081 Fa :x ( 202 ) 215 - 4012 aM il: S t po I DCC, W ihsa gn t no , D C 20402 - 1000 ISBN 978-0-16-082095-3 9 780160 820953 Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century A Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on New Americans Members of the Task Force on New Americans Michael Chertoff, Chair Secretary Department of Homeland Security Anabelle Romero Department of Agriculture Joel Harris Department of Commerce Leslye Arsht Department of Defense Troy Justesen Department of Education James O’Neill Department of Health and Human Services Susan Peppler Department of Housing and Urban Development James E. Cason Department of the Interior Elisebeth C. Cook Department of Justice Leon R. Sequeira Department of Labor Janice Jacobs Department of State Anna Escobedo Cabral Department of the Treasury Alfonso Aguilar, Technical Committee Chair U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services | iii Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century The Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: On June 7, 2006, you established by Executive Order 13404 the Task Force on New Americans, with a call to strengthen the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security and federal, state, and local agencies to help legal immigrants embrace the common core of American civic culture, learn our common language, and fully become Americans. Immigration remains a prominent issue for Americans. With your leadership, the debate on comprehensive immigration reform now includes immigrant assimilation. The initiatives of the Task Force on New Americans serve to highlight the importance of successful immigrant integration to the nation, and to solidify a coherent vision for integration efforts across all sectors of society. As chair of the Task Force on New Americans, I am honored to submit, pursuant to the provisions of the executive order, our unanimous recommendations and final report: Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century: A Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on New Americans. This report is the culmination of more than two years of research into immigrant integration efforts across all sectors of society in the United States. The report provides an overview of successful integration initiatives observed in many sectors and prescribes recommendations to launch a coordinated national campaign— similar to past Americanization movements—to promote the assimilation of immigrants into American civic culture. The recommendations presented for your consideration are actions that all sectors of society can undertake under a federal call to action. To iv | Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century renew an Americanization movement, state and local governments, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, adult educators, libraries, civic organizations, and the philanthropic sector must be partners to this strategy. We believe this report provides a blueprint to implement the vision of a coordinated national strategy and affirms America’s long- standing tradition as a nation of immigrants. On behalf of all members of the Task Force on New Americans, we appreciate the opportunity to serve our country by providing our recommendations on this important topic. Sincerely, Michael Chertoff Secretary of Homeland Security Chair, Task Force on New Americans | v Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century Table of Contents Executive Summary viii E Pluribus Unum—Out of Many, One 1 Americanization 10 State and Local Governments: Local leaders promoting integration 13 Community and Faith-based Organizations: Frontline and national service providers 17 Public Libraries: Reservoirs of community resources 20 Adult Educators: Conduits for English and civics instruction 24 Business and the Private Sector: Investment in immigrant workers is an investment in America 28 Foundations and Philanthropies: Leaders in building community 32 Civic Organizations and Service Clubs: Promoting democracy, patriotism, and service 34 Federal Government: Coordinating a national strategy, providing technical expertise and resources 37 Recommendations 44 1 An Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century 45 2 Viewing Integration as a Two-way Street 46 3 Improved Legislation on Integration and Citizenship 46 vi | Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century 4 Federal Celebration of Citizenship 47 5 Federal Leadership on Integration 47 6 Enhanced E-learning Tools for Adults 48 7 Encouraging the Private Sector to Promote Integration 49 8 Mobilizing the Volunteer Community 49 9 Increasing Integration Stakeholders 50 10 Broadened Analysis and Evaluation of Integration 50 Appendix A: Executive Order 13404 51 Appendix B: Task Force and Technical Committee Members 53 Appendix C: Task Force Initiatives 56 Appendix D: Task Force Roundtables 59 Appendix E: Participating Individuals and Organizations 60 Endnotes 64 | vii Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century Executive Summary Immigrants from all over the world have been drawn for centuries to the United States, and their contributions continue to strengthen this great nation. Enriching our national character, immigrants bring vitality and optimism to both our economy and society. A nation based not on ethnicity, race, religion, or culture, the United States of America is a country in which people from every background come together to govern themselves in a political framework inclusive of all. Americans have embraced the opportunities and met the challenges associated with each successive wave of immigration. Several recent factors point to the need for a concerted national effort to ensure the successful assimilation of our current wave of immigrants. Today’s immigrants are coming to the United States in record numbers, from diverse countries of origin, and some are settling in new gateway communities without long immigrant-receiving traditions. These trends warrant action from all sectors of society to foster the integration of immigrants into American civic culture. All of us have a vested interest in reengaging and preserving the fundamental civic principles and values that bind immigrants and citizens alike. The result of such efforts builds universal attachment to America’s core civic values, strengthens social and political cohesion, and will help the United States continue to prosper as a nation of immigrants bound by an enduring promise of freedom grounded in democracy, liberty, equal opportunity, and respect for the rule of law. Recognizing a historic opportunity to emphasize the importance of immigrant integration, on June 7, 2006, President George W. Bush created by executive order the Task Force on New Americans (Task Force). The Task Force brought together a wide variety of federal agencies to strengthen the efforts of federal, state, and local agencies to help legal immigrants embrace the common core of American civic culture, learn our common language, and fully become Americans. viii | Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century The efforts of the Task Force centered on the idea that assimilation is an opportunity to renew America’s political values and enrich com- munities by celebrating the bonds that unite us all. The Task Force was guided by two themes that have uniquely defined America’s immigration experience: • Diversity within Unity: Diversity makes America strong, but unity keeps America successful. In advocating patriotic assimilation, the Task Force refers to a unifying civic identity that respects diversity, including individual religious and cul- tural traditions, but does not use these elements to define the identity of the political community. American identity is political and is composed of three key elements: 1) embracing the principles of American democracy; 2) identifying with U.S. history; and 3) communicating in English. • Citizenship Is an Identity: Citizenship is an identity and not simply a benefit. Feeling and being perceived as part of the political