Creating Welcoming Communities and Fully Integrating Immigrants and Refugees, 70765-70767 [2014-28191]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 26, 2014)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 70765-70767]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28191]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 26, 2014 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 70765]]


                Memorandum of November 21, 2014

                
Creating Welcoming Communities and Fully 
                Integrating Immigrants and Refugees

                Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and 
                Agencies

                Our country has long been a beacon of hope and 
                opportunity for people from around the world. Nearly 40 
                million foreign-born residents nationwide contribute to 
                their communities every day, including 3 million 
                refugees who have resettled here since 1975. These new 
                Americans significantly improve our economy. They make 
                up 13 percent of the population, but are over 16 
                percent of the labor force and start 28 percent of all 
                new businesses. Moreover, immigrants or their children 
                have founded more than 40 percent of Fortune 500 
                companies, which collectively employ over 10 million 
                people worldwide and generate annual revenues of $4.2 
                trillion.

                By focusing on the civic, economic, and linguistic 
                integration of new Americans, we can help immigrants 
                and refugees in the United States contribute fully to 
                our economy and their communities. Civic integration 
                provides new Americans with security in their rights 
                and liberties. Economic integration empowers immigrants 
                to be self-sufficient and allows them to give back to 
                their communities and contribute to economic growth. 
                English language acquisition allows new Americans to 
                attain employment or career advancement and be more 
                active civic participants.

                Our success as a Nation of immigrants is rooted in our 
                ongoing commitment to welcoming and integrating 
                newcomers into the fabric of our country. It is 
                important that we develop a Federal immigrant 
                integration strategy that is innovative and competitive 
                with those of other industrialized nations and supports 
                mechanisms to ensure that our Nation's diverse people 
                are contributing to society to their fullest potential.

                Therefore, I am establishing a White House Task Force 
                on New Americans, an interagency effort to identify and 
                support State and local efforts at integration that are 
                working and to consider how to expand and replicate 
                successful models. The Task Force, which will engage 
                with community, business, and faith leaders, as well as 
                State and local elected officials, will help determine 
                additional steps the Federal Government can take to 
                ensure its programs and policies are serving diverse 
                communities that include new Americans.

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, I hereby order as follows:

                Section 1. White House Task Force on New Americans. (a) 
                There is established a White House Task Force on New 
                Americans (Task Force) to develop a coordinated Federal 
                strategy to better integrate new Americans into 
                communities and support State and local efforts to do 
                the same. It shall be co-chaired by the Director of the 
                Domestic Policy Council and Secretary of Homeland 
                Security, or their designees. In addition to the Co-
                Chairs, the Task Force shall consist of the following 
                members:

(i) the Secretary of State;

(ii) the Attorney General;

(iii) the Secretary of Agriculture;

(iv) the Secretary of Commerce;

[[Page 70766]]

(v) the Secretary of Labor;

(vi) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;

(vii) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;

(viii) the Secretary of Transportation;

(ix) the Secretary of Education;

(x) the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and 
Community Service;

(xi) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(xii) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;

(xiii) the Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for 
Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement;

(xiv) the Director of the National Economic Council;

(xv) the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and 
Counterterrorism; and

(xvi) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

                    (b) A member of the Task Force may designate a 
                senior-level official who is from the member's 
                department, agency, or office, and is a full-time 
                officer or employee of the Federal Government, to 
                perform day-to-day Task Force functions of the member. 
                At the direction of the Co-Chairs, the Task Force may 
                establish subgroups consisting exclusively of Task 
                Force members or their designees under this subsection, 
                as appropriate.
                    (c) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
                appoint an Executive Director who will determine the 
                Task Force's agenda, convene regular meetings of the 
                Task Force, and supervise work under the direction of 
                the Co-Chairs. The Department of Homeland Security 
                shall provide funding and administrative support for 
                the Task Force to the extent permitted by law and 
                subject to the availability of appropriations. Each 
                executive department or agency shall bear its own 
                expenses for participating in the Task Force.

                Sec. 2. Mission and Function of the Task Force. (a) The 
                Task Force shall, consistent with applicable law, work 
                across executive departments and agencies to:

(i) review the policies and programs of all relevant executive departments 
and agencies to ensure they are responsive to the needs of new Americans 
and the receiving communities in which they reside, and identify ways in 
which such programs can be used to increase meaningful engagement between 
new Americans and the receiving community;

(ii) identify and disseminate best practices at the State and local level;

(iii) provide technical assistance, training, or other support to existing 
Federal grantees to increase their coordination and capacity to improve 
long-term integration and foster welcoming community climates;

(iv) collect and disseminate immigrant integration data, policies, and 
programs that affect numerous executive departments and agencies, as well 
as State and local governments and nongovernmental actors;

(v) conduct outreach to representatives of nonprofit organizations, State 
and local government agencies, elected officials, and other interested 
persons that can assist with the Task Force's development of 
recommendations;

(vi) work with Federal, State, and local entities to measure and strengthen 
equitable access to services and programs for new Americans, consistent 
with applicable law; and

(vii) share information with and communicate to the American public 
regarding the benefits that result from integrating new Americans into 
communities.

[[Page 70767]]

                    (b) Within 120 days of the date of this memorandum, 
                the Task Force shall develop and submit to the 
                President an Integration Plan with recommendations for 
                agency actions to further the integration of new 
                Americans. The Integration Plan shall include:

(i) an assessment by each Task Force member of the status and scope of the 
efforts by the member's department, agency, or office to further the civic, 
economic, and linguistic integration of new Americans, including a report 
on the status of any offices or programs that have been created to develop, 
implement, or monitor targeted initiatives concerning immigrant 
integration; and

(ii) recommendations for issues, programs, or initiatives that should be 
further evaluated, studied, and implemented, as appropriate.

                    (c) The Task Force shall provide, within 1 year of 
                the date of this memorandum, a status report to the 
                President regarding the implementation of this 
                memorandum. The Task Force shall review and update the 
                Integration Plan periodically, as appropriate, and 
                shall present to the President any updated 
                recommendations or findings.

                Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this 
                memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise 
                affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the 
head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent 
                with applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does 
                not, create any right or benefit, substantive or 
                procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any 
                party against the United States, its departments, 
                agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or 
                agents, or any other person.
                    (d) The Secretary of Homeland Security is hereby 
                authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in 
                the Federal Register.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, November 21, 2014

[FR Doc. 2014-28191
Filed 11-25-14; 11:15 am]
Billing code 4410-10