States across the country are facing tougher-than-ever challenges to advance immigrant integration, from a rapidly shifting federal immigration landscape to strained state budgets. The Office of New Americans (ONA) State Network, convened by the American Immigration Council and World Education Services, provides a forum for state policy leaders from 24 red, blue, and purple states to share best practices and help with efforts to integrate immigrants into their communities and the local economy.
In June, the ONA Network offered a timely opportunity to continue these conversations in person, bringing together officials from 13 states for a joint site visit to New Jersey and New York. The site visit, co-hosted by the New Jersey Office of New Americans and the New York State Office for New Americans, provided support and inspiration to help state leaders navigate this challenging moment and plan for the future.
Connecting Immigrants to Vital Resources
Throughout the visit, participants met with local partners of the NJ and NY ONAs to learn about innovative initiatives supported by both offices. One such program is the New York State New Americans Hotline, a resource available to all state residents that connects callers with information and referrals relating to immigration matters. The hotline, managed by the Catholic Charities Community Services of NY and funded by the NY ONA, is free, confidential, and available in up to 200 languages.
The New Americans Hotline receives tens of thousands of calls annually, connecting callers across the state with legal services, other NY ONA programs, and protection against immigration services fraud. During the visit, participants had the opportunity to learn how the hotline operates, ask technical questions, and tour hotline facilities, walking away from this meeting with a roadmap for how to create something similar in their states.
Improving Access to Immigration Legal Services
Amid federal cuts to legal programs, terminations of immigration benefits, and a shortage of immigration attorneys, demand for immigration legal services continues to outpace capacity. New Jersey and New York have both stepped up to help address this need in their states, establishing multiple legal programs administered by their ONAs.
In New York, participants visited a local community-based organization that serves as one of the NY ONA’s Opportunity Centers, which are located throughout the state to provide immigrant residents with free legal assistance and naturalization support. Over in New Jersey, participants learned about a different immigration legal services model, the state’s Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program. This program, administered by the NJ ONA, is the second in the country to offer free legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children. For the site visit, the NJ ONA convened a panel of five legal service providers to share more about each of their unique roles in this collaborative program.
Advancing Language Access
Across the country, states and localities are taking action on language accessibility to ensure that residents can receive government services, resources, and information in the language they speak. During the site visit, participants heard what this work looks like in NJ and NY – two national leaders on this issue. The panel provided an opportunity to hear from the states, each at different points in their language access implementation process, and demonstrated the benefits that come from cross-state learning.
- In New York, the state’s language access policy was first established in 2011 via executive order and later codified in 2022. The NY Office of Language Access oversees these services, providing oversight of these fully implemented measures.
- In contrast, New Jersey established their language access policy via legislation passed in January 2024 and is currently working on its implementation.
- While NJ and NY are in different stages of advancing language access, the panel left participants with concrete ideas for advancing their own language accessibility, whether just starting their own plans or maintaining fully implemented measures.
Reflecting on America’s Rich History of Immigration
While in New York, the ONA Network took a detour to the Tenement Museum, a nonprofit institution that invites visitors into carefully recreated homes of migrants who’ve come to New York City since the 1860s. These guided tours provided participants with a moment to reflect and situate current challenges within the context of historic migration patterns to the city.
As participants learned about past waves of migration, they were reminded how far the U.S. has come and how far it still has to go to become a welcoming place for all. Equipped with valuable insights and connections from this site visit, ONA Network state leaders returned home ready to continue leading this charge.