Helping Immigrants 

Become New Americans:

Communities Discuss the Issues

Helping Immigrants 

Become New Americans:

Communities Discuss the Issues

September 2004

Office of Citizenship
This text of this report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While

permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of Homeland

Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of Citizenship, Helping Immigrants Become New Americans:

Communities Discuss the Issues. Washington, DC, 2004.

This report is available at http://www.uscis.gov.
PAGE iii

Table of Contents

Message from the Office of Citizenship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Conducting the Focus Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Helping New Immigrants Join Their Communities:The Strengths, Gaps, and Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Naturalization: Helping Immigrants Become U.S. Citizens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Challenges in Serving Immigrants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Accessing Immigration-Related Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What We Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Appendices

Appendix A. New Immigrant Growth Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Appendix B. A Snapshot of U.S. Immigrant and Foreign-Born Populations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Appendix C. Focus Group Participant List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

PAGE v

Message from the 

Office of Citizenship

The United States of America is a nation of immigrants, people who have come from a variety of cultural

and religious backgrounds, speaking many languages and bringing diverse talents to the United States.

Despite these differences in background, all Americans are bound together by a set of enduring civic principles as relevant today as they were the day our Constitution was signed more than two centuries ago.

Americans embrace the ideals of freedom and opportunity, equality before the law, respect and tolerance

for differences, and the primacy of individual citizens and their rights in governing our nation. We strive

to enact these ideals in our laws and demonstrate them in our everyday civic life. We welcome immigrants

who want to make the U.S. their home and join us in honoring these principles.

Immigration to the United States is growing and the demographics are changing, presenting the nation

with both challenges and opportunities. According to the U.S. Census, in 2000 there were 31 million foreign-born in the U.S., or 11 percent of the population.1 Today, one in nine U.S. residents is foreign-born.2

America’s immigrants are choosing to settle in new areas of the country, including the Southeast, Midwest,

and Rocky Mountain regions, outside the traditional gateways for newcomers, such as California and New

York. Between 1990 and 2000, the foreign-born population grew by as much as 200 percent in some

states.3

The growth in immigration, coupled with shifts in settlement, creates civic integration challenges in both

new and traditional immigrant destinations.The newer immigrant destinations have less experience with

immigrant residents and may have fewer resources to help immigrants integrate into their communities,

such as English language instruction or citizenship preparation courses.

1Although the number of immigrants is at the highest level in U.S. history, the share of the immigrant population still remains below the

record level of 15 percent in 1900.

2Fix, Michael, and Jeffrey S. Passel (2003). U.S. Immigration:Trends and Implications for Schools. Presentation to the National Association for

Bilingual Education. Washington, D.C.:The Urban Institute. [Accessed on July 23, 2004

http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/410654_NABEPresentation.pdf].

3These states include North Carolina (274 percent), Georgia (253 percent), and Nevada (202 percent). See Capps, R., M. Fix, and J.S. Passel

(2002). The Dispersal of Immigrants in the 1990s. Immigrant Families and Workers, Brief No. 2, Washington, D.C.:The Urban Institute.
PAGE vi

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 created the Office of Citizenship within U.S. Citizenship and

Immigration Services (USCIS), establishing a new federal leadership role in preparing immigrants for citizenship and fostering a deeper understanding of what it means to be an American. Recognizing that immigrant integration takes place at the local level, the Office of Citizenship turned to local communities to

learn more about what they perceive to be their strengths and needs in that effort.To do this, the Office

conducted focus groups in seven communities across the country in spring 2004. Participants in these

groups were drawn from three key sectors: community- and faith-based organizations; state and local

government; and adult education providers.The results of this research will inform our initiatives as we

develop our strategic plan.

We thank the communities and participants who supported us in this important work. We look forward to

learning from more communities as we move forward with our agenda.

Alfonso Aguilar 

Chief, Office of Citizenship
PAGE 1

(I) Introduction

The Office of Citizenship was created by the

Homeland Security Act of 2002 with the mandate of

promoting instruction and training on citizenship

rights and responsibilities.The Office of Citizenship

(OoC) will focus its resources on providing information to immigrants at two key points in their journey

towards civic integration: when they first become

Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) and later when

they are ready and eligible to begin the formal naturalization process. Although some of the activities

under our mandate are new for the U.S. government,

the OoC is well aware that many local communities

across the country have considerable expertise in

helping immigrants integrate into U.S. civic society.

Community- and faith-based organizations, state and

local governments, and adult education providers all

play a role in welcoming new immigrants and helping them become part of the civic fabric of this

nation.The OoC plans to build on this community

expertise by aligning its initiatives with local and state

efforts already underway.

Since its creation, OoC staff have traveled throughout

the nation informally speaking with community leaders, educators, and immigrants to learn about what

services are already being provided by communities

to promote immigrant integration as well as the

needs of communities to expand or enhance services.

To learn more about current local practices and

needs, the OoC invited seven communities representing a variety of small and large cities and geographic

regions to participate in focus groups. Some participating communities have long histories of receiving

and serving immigrants, while others are newly emerging immigrant centers. Each community is also a pilot

site for Immigration Refugee Services of America’s

(IRSA) Citizenship AmeriCorps initiative.4 With the

exceptions of Lowell and Lincoln, the communities all

have a local OoC Community Liaison Officer (CLO).

These seven communities are:

• Arlington,Virginia

• Dearborn, Michigan

• Houston,Texas

• Lincoln, Nebraska

• Lowell, Massachusetts

• Oakland, California

• Portland, Oregon

Helping Immigrants Become New Americans:

Communities Discuss the Issues

4This initiative will place AmeriCorps members in various communities across the U.S. to support community involvement with

Portland, Oregon immigrants as they pursue and achieve American citizenship.

Houston,Texas
PAGE 2

(II) Conducting the Focus Group

Each focus group consisted of approximately 12 people representing organizations that work with newly

arrived immigrants and/or those preparing to naturalize. In each group, three representatives came from

state or local government, three from adult education,

and six from community- and faith-based organizations. Each group had at least one representative of a

community-based organization accredited by the

Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).

The groups addressed two major topics: their communities’ strengths and gaps in helping newly arrived LPRs

integrate into daily civic life and their strengths and

gaps in helping LPRs eligible for naturalization to prepare for citizenship.The groups were also asked to discuss other challenges related to assisting immigrants,

how they coordinate efforts and form partnerships, and

how they access information useful to their work. Each

focus group lasted three hours, with the same professional facilitator moderating all groups.The meetings

were recorded for transcription, and the transcripts

were analyzed by OoC staff to compare results across

groups and identify important issues and trends.

This report summarizes strengths and gaps identified

during informal discussions with constituents

throughout the nation.This report relies solely on the

views expressed by the participants. No effort was

made to verify the factual information provided by

the participants, except where footnotes are included.

The views of the focus groups were very consistent

with views expressed by leaders in other community

meetings during the past year, and the findings help

define and inform a set of themes and issues shared

by many U.S. communities in their efforts to promote

the civic integration of new residents.

The Focus Groups offered the Office of

Citizenship an opportunity to:

❿ Hear directly from a range of 

professionals working on 

immigrant integration

❿ Understand differences in 

experiences and views across

various organizational sectors 

and geographic regions

❿ Collect local-level information 

to inform the design of OoC 

programs and initiatives

❿ Learn how limited resources 

are leveraged within communities 

to enhance services

❿ Demonstrate the OoC’s 

commitment to working in 

partnership with service 

providers
PAGE 3

(III) Helping New Immigrants

Join Their Communities:

The Strengths, Gaps, and

Challenges

Immigrant-Serving Organizations

There are a variety of organizations in cities and towns

across the United States devoted to serving the needs of

immigrants, from governmental organizations to

English education programs, to community- and faithbased organizations.These organizations understand the

communities they serve and try very hard, often with

limited resources, to provide services to improve the

lives of their clients.

For immigrants, access to the services these community

organizations provide is often the difference between

feeling like part of a community and feeling isolated.

Focus group members in all seven communities reported that the presence of community-based organizations

(CBOs) was a definite strength of their communities;

however, consistent with what the OoC has been

hearing across the nation, the availability of the services

provided by CBOs varied greatly from community to

community. For example, participants said that Oakland

has many nonprofit organizations serving immigrants,

while Portland has many services for refugees, but not

as many for non-refugee immigrants. In some communities, immigrants receive services and assistance mainly

from immigrant organizations based on their countries

of origin or native language.

Availability of English Language Instruction

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Office

of Vocational and Adult Education, there are more than

1,400 sites throughout the United States that provide

English instruction (English as a Second Language) to

people for whom English is not their native language.

This figure does not include the thousands more

community- and faith-based organizations, volunteer

agencies, colleges and universities, workplace education

programs, and for-profit organizations that offer additional classes for immigrants.These programs—federally

funded, other non-profits, and for-profits—offer a variety of educational services from one-on-one tutoring to

comprehensive English programs consisting of multilevel classes with standardized curricula.

All seven communities reported that one of their

strengths in helping new immigrants integrate within

their communities was the availability of English language instruction. Participants noted that these classes

also served a social integration purpose, bringing

together immigrants from various backgrounds.The

adult educators participating in the focus groups said

they often used curricula emphasizing how immigrants

could become more involved in the community, as well

as teaching about the United States and its history and

government. Furthermore, the adult educators agreed

that they often serve as “front line” contacts for many

immigrants and are important sources of referrals for

them.

Although participants noted that their communities

provided English language instruction in a variety of

ways, most felt that the demand outweighed their

capacity to supply this service. For example, one adult

education provider in Portland serves about 17,000

learners a year—but has a waiting list of at least 9,000.

Adult educators in Houston estimate that about one

million people in their area need English language

instruction; however, only about 35,000 can be served

each year.

The growing gap between the demand for English as a

Second Language (ESL) classes and the availability of

such classes presents a challenge for many communities

throughout the United States. Acquiring a functional

command of the English language is the basis for many

other integration opportunities. Lack of adequate

funding is cited as the major reason communities are

unable to meet the demand; however, often compounding the problem is a lack of facilities to hold classes,

especially in rural areas, and a lack of available and
PAGE 4

trained instructors to teach the classes. Many focus

group participants also stated that when programs

were confronted with low-literacy immigrants, those

who have no literacy skills in their native language,

and/or those with a physical or learning disability,

the issues of finding trained teachers becomes even

more problematic.

Partnerships and Coalitions

No single federal, state, or local organization can serve

the multifaceted needs of new immigrants. It takes a

number of agencies at all levels working together to

achieve a community and nation where immigrants

are integrated and able to participate fully in all

aspects of American society.

Participants in the focus groups voiced a need for strong

partnerships to improve or expand services to immigrants. In a field with high demand and limited

resources, they understand that cooperating with other

organizations is essential to providing good services.

They observed that funders seek, and in some cases

require, collaboration among organizations, which provides an incentive to create such partnerships.

Participants also agreed about what makes partnerships

successful:

• Sharing a common goal.

• Sharing information and resources.

• Building on the complementary strengths of the 

different partners.

• Communicating and coordinating work to avoid

duplicating services.

• Defining the roles and responsibilities of each partner.

• Cooperating instead of competing.

Some participants gave examples of local coalitions or

networks that they considered instrumental in accomplishing their work. Lowell, for example, has the One

Lowell Coalition, an alliance of organizations serving

immigrants, as well as another alliance of about 45

non-profits that provides information, training, and networking opportunities.The Greater Lowell Interfaith

Alliance also plays a significant role in the community

because it counts among its members many faith-based

groups that serve immigrants.

For more than ten years, Lincoln has had a New

Americans Task Force, staffed by the city of Lincoln and

the county human services department.The Task Force

consists of 35 organizations, including CBOs, government agencies, law enforcement, and others dedicated

to helping immigrants and refugees become part of

their community.The Task Force meets monthly to

discuss services and programs. It also makes referrals

and implements special projects, such as the production

of a video, “The New Nebraskans,” in cooperation with

Nebraska Public Television.

Although immigrant-serving coalitions were strong in

some communities, others stated that despite recognizing the value of such a coordinating body, there was no

such mechanism in their communities. As several participants mentioned, forming and maintaining coalitions

is not easy and requires time and ongoing effort.This

competes with resources needed to serve the day-to-day

needs of their clients. Most agreed, however, that it is

time and energy well spent.

Centralized Information

Even in this age of technology where millions of pieces

of information are available with the push of a button,

trying to sift through that information can be daunting.

Participants uniformly emphasized the need for a

source of centralized information for immigrants

themselves as well as the organizations that serve them.

Some cited a lack of information on services in the

community, life in the United States, what LPR status
PAGE 5

means and requires, and the benefits of U.S. citizenship,

as well as about more practical, day-to-day issues. Others

said that organizations serving immigrants needed more

centralized information to help with referrals and other

aspects of their work.They also observed that it was difficult to get updates on changes to immigration laws or

to learn about innovations and best practices from other

communities.

Outreach to New Immigrants

Participants observed that, in the absence of a standardized approach to introducing new immigrants to

their communities and life in the U.S., linking them to

services and assistance can be “catch-as-catch can.”

One participant suggested that when LPRs receive their

Permanent Resident Cards, they should also be given

an information packet outlining their eligibility for

services, their rights and responsibilities, and the benefits of U.S. citizenship, among other topics.

Participants agreed that outreach to new immigrants is

vital and that communities should not wait for immigrants themselves to find services and connections to

the community. Communities varied in the extent to

which they actively sought out new immigrants in

order to provide the assistance and orientation services

they needed. Some participants noted that their city

governments provided considerable outreach, whereas

others said that their city governments provided little to

no outreach to immigrants at all. Most participants

agreed that many immigrants were not being reached at

all.

Funding

Participants from every community cited funding issues

as a constraint to providing services to immigrants.The

challenges of finding sufficient funding to meet the vast

needs of the immigrant population has, in many communities, been the catalyst for stronger and more efficient collaborative efforts. Some communities, in order

to form more holistic networks, have gone beyond the

traditional social service and education providers to

include local government and the private sector as well.

No community agency or organization that touches the

lives of immigrants should be left out. As one community member said, “The only thing that should be left

out is ego and turfism.”

(IV) Naturalization: Helping

Immigrants Become U.S. Citizens

Assistance to Immigrants Seeking to Naturalize

In many communities across the United States, there are

at least some services available to immigrants ready and

eligible to naturalize. All focus group participants indicated that such services were available within their communities, including citizenship classes, counseling, pro bono

legal advice, and/or legal clinics. In addition, some

participants stated that immigrant organizations based 

on ethnicity, language, country of origin, or religious

affiliation often help immigrants with the naturalization

process. In Dearborn, some organizations assist immigrants

with limited income to pay the fee for naturalization. In

Portland, citizenship classes are available in a variety of

locations, such as churches with large immigrant congregations and apartment complexes with immigrant residents. In Oakland, one organization offers one-on-one

citizenship preparation to elderly immigrants in accessible settings, such as senior centers.

Some organizations rely heavily on volunteers for these

services. In Houston, trained volunteers often staff citizenship preparation workshops. In Northern Virginia, many

residents have had international experience with the military, Peace Corps, or Department of State and eagerly volunteer to help. Others noted that staff members often provide assistance on their own time, and without funding,

to those seeking help with naturalization.

Although all communities had some services to help

immigrants naturalize, the services available varied

widely in type and availability. Participants noted that a

standard curriculum for citizenship classes, especially

one with the imprimatur of USCIS, would be especially useful. Others felt that there were not enough BIAaccredited organizations,

counselors, or attorneys

in their communities

who could provide free

or low-cost legal advice

to those seeking to naturalize and even fewer

who could provide assistance in immigrants’

native languages.
PAGE 6

Early Outreach

Participants noted that preparation for naturalization

should not begin with the immigrant’s submission of

a formal application to USCIS.There is a wealth of

information needed by the immigrant well before the

application process begins, both about the naturalization process and citizenship itself.

Several participants cited efforts to reach immigrants

early with information about the benefits of U.S. citizenship and about the process of naturalization. In

Lowell, for example, a CBO that serves teens is joining

forces with a local university to seek funding to promote citizenship among teens and help them educate

their parents about citizenship.

Again, although several communities are seeking to

find and serve immigrants in their communities who

are eligible and ready to naturalize, there remain wide

gaps between outreach services available and outreach

services needed.

Centralized Information

Just as a source of centralized information is needed

by newly arrived immigrants and the organizations

that serve them, those immigrants ready and eligible

to naturalize need a centralized source of information

about available resources and issues that concern them.

Participants said that there was currently no centralized comprehensive source of information on naturalization issues, changes in laws or policies, or services

for those seeking naturalization.

Coalitions

Some participants said that coalitions that coordinate

efforts for those immigrants ready and eligible to naturalize do not exist within their communities.They

felt that, in the absence of such coordinating networks, organizations did not do a good job of sharing

information about programs and services.This sometimes leads to duplication of services and/or lost

opportunities for immigrants.Those communities that

have developed a good working relationship among

agencies felt that coordinated efforts for those immigrants preparing to naturalize were less prevalent than

coordination for new permanent residents.

(V) Challenges in Serving

Immigrants

Participants noted several common challenges in

working with immigrant communities.These do not

necessarily represent gaps in services, but rather are

some of the inherent difficulties of serving this population.These include:

Economic Challenges

Immigrants are often faced with multiple challenges.

Finding a source of income to secure housing and

transportation, pay for childcare, and buy food and

clothes for their families may require all eligible family

members to work one or more jobs.Those immigrants

who try to balance long hours with other family

responsibilities often find no time to devote to attending classes or participating in civic integration activities.

This is a real challenge to service providers and has

required many to consider new ways and schedules for

delivering services.

Literacy Challenges

Many immigrants are not literate in their native language, making their transition to English and their

integration into the community more difficult.

English programs with such students often find it difficult to find teachers trained in techniques for teaching non-literate immigrants, adequate instructional

resources, and the time and funds necessary to provide the intensive services necessary to help non-literate immigrants acquire English skills.
PAGE 7

Isolation

Participants expressed concern about immigrants who

did not manage to find assistance or who were not

part of a predominant immigrant group in their

communities. Some noted that immigrants who were

dispersed throughout the community could be harder

to reach than those in well-established immigrant

neighborhoods.They also noted that new immigrants

could become isolated in these predominant communities, with little incentive to learn English.

Diversity

In some communities, immigrants come from a fairly

small number of countries, making it easier for the

community to learn about them and provide culturally

sensitive services. In other communities, the diversity

of national and ethnic groups makes this difficult.

One Portland participant noted that there were students

speaking 67 native languages in his community’s

English language program.

(VI) Accessing ImmigrationRelated Information

Participants draw on a variety of sources of information for their work, including:

• The District USCIS office and CLO.

• National Organizations.

• Professional Organizations.

• Coalitions and Networks.

• Personal Networks.

• Conferences and Workshops.

• Websites.

• Listservs.

• Publications, including community services directories and newsletters.

Although this list is extensive, participants said that

they had difficulty obtaining useful information easily

and making sense of it.

(VII) What We Learned 

Facilitating the Integration of Newly-Arrived

Immigrants

Focus group participants highlighted the need for a

more standardized approach to introducing new

immigrants to their communities and life in the U.S.,

including mechanisms to link them to services and

information sources. When asked about gaps in assisting newly arrived immigrants integrate into daily life,

focus group participants consistently said that they

need a source of centralized information for immigrants, and that there are not enough services for

newly arrived LPRs. Many participants also stated that

there are long waiting lists for ESL classes in their

communities. Some participants felt that access to

services is limited for immigrants who are not supported by or part of their community’s majority linguistic, ethnic, or religious groups.

Focus groups also highlighted several strengths shared by

the communities—community- and faith-based organizations that provide services to immigrants, dedicated

volunteers who commit their time to help new immigrants, and English language instruction opportunities.

Issue for Action

To assist communities, the Office of Citizenship is

developing a variety of outreach and educational materials for newly arrived immigrants.The first of these

materials is a guide for LPRs entitled, “Welcome to the

United States: A Guide for New Immigrants.” As the

title implies, this guide is targeted toward immigrants

who need quick access to practical information about

daily life in the United States, as well as basic civics

information that will introduce them to the U.S. system

of government. It will also provide guidance on the

rights and responsibilities associated with lawful permanent resident status.
PAGE 8

Preparing Those Who Are Ready and Eligible to

Become Citizens

More citizenship preparation classes are needed, along

with a good curriculum and teaching and learning

tools. Focus group participants discussed the strengths

of their communities in preparing immigrants to naturalize.They all indicated that there are citizenship

preparation services available; however, many also

added that these services are limited, provided informally, or conducted on staff’s unpaid volunteer time.

In addition, participants felt that greater outreach to

immigrants on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship is needed.

Issue for Action

The development of a national citizenship curriculum

with aligned assessments, learning tools, and a

teacher-training framework is a high priority on the

Office of Citizenship’s agenda. Educational materials

on the benefits, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship will be developed and made available to programs nationwide.

Access to Information

Immigrants and the organizations that serve them

need a more structured method to access current

information and learn about services available in their

communities. Focus group participants identified a

number of ways that they access information.

However, many stated that there is a lack of centralized information—not only for immigrants, but also

for the organizations that serve them. Practitioners,

focusing on service delivery, often do not have the

time to track down information and stay current on

trends and best practices.

Issue for Action

To help facilitate community access to information on

immigrant integration, the Office of Citizenship will

update its website with a view towards building a

clearinghouse of resources as well as an online library

for researchers and academics. In addition, through its

Community Liaison Officers, the Office will continue

to seek innovative approaches to facilitate targeted,

ongoing sharing of information in local communities.

Coordination and Partnership

Partnerships among all sectors are critical to communities’ success in helping immigrants successfully

integrate.This includes all levels of government, adult

educators, community- and faith-based organizations

and the private sector. It is clear from focus group

comments that many organizations are engaged in

meaningful partnerships to better serve immigrants

within their communities. Many participants also stated, however, that there is a greater need for coordination among all provider organizations within communities.Those participants who had been part of a consortium of organizations in the past stated that such a

group was an important way of keeping up-to-date

with trends and resources—both local and national—

and of building relationships that could potentially

develop into partnerships.

Issue for Action

The Office of Citizenship will seek to establish working groups at the national level, and actively engage

state and local governments to share information,

identify barriers to serving immigrants, and leverage

limited resources. Such collaboration already exists in

some communities, and the Office will assist them in

strengthening existing networks or developing new

working groups where needed.The Office of

Citizenship’s Community Liaison Officers will play an

important role in this effort.
PAGE 9

Funding

Limited resources are often a barrier to providing the

variety of services an immigrant requires to fully integrate into the civic life of the community. Partnerships help, but even that takes resources. Focus group

participants agreed that partnering was one way to

make limited dollars go farther and suggested that

partnerships should be expanded to include more of

the private sector. However, they also stated that partnering requires staff time, which requires funding in

order not to diminish the ability to provide basic

services.

Issue for Action

To assist programs in their struggle to both obtain

and leverage funds to achieve their important mission, the Office of Citizenship will continue to raise

awareness within both public and private sectors of

the benefits of civic integration for immigrants and

the shared responsibilities among all sectors of society

in addressing these funding issues.

(VIII) Conclusion

The United States has been and continues to be a

nation of immigrants, with newcomers to America

both enriching the tapestry of our nation and presenting new challenges in the 21st century. The

Office of Citizenship is committed to encouraging

the civic integration of immigrants and their eventual naturalization. The community discussions

described here were intended to help the Office of

Citizenship understand how communities presently

assist new immigrants and to identify gaps in services

that local providers consider urgent. Although some

communities have long been accustomed to welcoming immigrants, others are just beginning to have

sizable immigrant communities and are learning

how to assist them. The seven communities that participated in the focus groups are strongly committed

to improving their assistance to immigrants, and

although they bring many strengths to this task, they

consistently cited insufficient resources to meet the

demand as one of their greatest challenges.

The information provided by these communities is

invaluable to the Office of Citizenship as it moves

ahead in its work.The Office of Citizenship carefully

analyzed all comments and recommendations by participants and is very appreciative of the time and

enthusiasm participants devoted to this effort.Their

advice and suggestions will be used to inform the

future priorities of the Office of Citizenship in order

to make the lives of all immigrants and the communities in which they reside much richer through civic

integration.

PAGE 11

Appendix A:

New Immigrant Growth Centers

IL

WI

Immigration Categories

Major Destinations (67% of Immigrants) (6 states)

New Growth States (1990–2000>91%) (22 states)

All Other States (22 states)

Source: Capps, Randolph, Fix, Michael E., and Jeffrey S. Passel (2002). The Dispersal of Immigrants in the 1990s. Immigrant Families and

Workers, Brief No. 2. Washington, D.C.:The Urban Institute.

PAGE 13

Size and Growth

Total U.S. population, 2000 281,421,906

Foreign-born population,1 2000 31,107,889

Percent who were foreign-born, 2000 11

Percent of foreign-born population who arrived 1990–2000 43

Countries and Regions of Origin

Percent of foreign-born population in 2000 from top five countries of origin

Mexico 30

China 5

Philippines 4

India 3

Vietnam 3

Percent of foreign-born in 2000, by regions of origin 

Latin America2 52

Asia 26

Europe 16

Africa 3

North America 3

English Proficiency

Percent of the total U.S. population ages 5 or older

with limited English proficiency:3 8

Percent of foreign-born population ages 5 or older

with limited English proficiency:3 51

Poverty

Percent of residents living at or below the federal poverty level in 2000:4

Foreign-born 18

Native-born 12

Naturalized citizens 11

Noncitizens 23

Appendix B: A Snapshot of the U.S. Immigrant

and Foreign-Born Populations
PAGE 14

Naturalized Citizens

Percent naturalized, by period of entry5

Before 1970 82

1970–1979 66

1980–1989 45

1990–2000 13

Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) population in 20026 11.4 million

Population eligible to naturalize in 20027 7.8 million

Number of persons naturalized in fiscal year 20028 573,708

A Snapshot of the U.S. Immigrant and Foreign-Born Populations—continued

Unless otherwise noted, the source for these estimates is: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics

Administration, U.S. Census Bureau Census 2000.

1As defined by U.S. immigration law, immigrants are persons lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United

States.The number of foreign-born reflected in the Census 2000 data is the population residing in the U.S. born in a different country to parents who were not U.S. citizens.The Census 2000 foreign-born population includes non-immigrants,

such as temporary workers, foreign students, and undocumented immigrants, as well as naturalized citizens.

2U.S. Census 2000 includes Mexico in Latin America rather than North America.

3As defined by the U.S. Census, persons with limited English proficiency are those who speak a language other than

English and speak English “well,” “not well,” or “not at all.”

4According to Census 2000, the federal poverty level in 2000 was an annual income of $17,050 for a family of four.

5To be eligible for citizenship, a foreign-born resident must be a legal permanent resident and have resided in the U.S. for

at least five years or at least three years if married to a U.S. citizen. For data tables, see Malone, Nolan, Baluja, Kaari F.,

Costanzo, Joseph M., and Cynthia J. Davis (2003). The Foreign-born Population: 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.

6For an explanation of the data on LPRs and the population eligible to naturalize, see Rytina, Nancy (2004). Estimates of

the Legal Permanent Resident Population and Proportion Eligible to Naturalize in 2002. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of

Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics.

7Rytina (2004).

8U.S. Department of Homeland Security,Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office.
PAGE 15

Location Name of Organization

Arlington,VA Arlington County Department of Human Services

Boat People S.O.S.

Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services

Center for Multicultural Human Services

Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)

City of Alexandria Department of Human Services

Fairfax County Public Schools Adult & Community Education

Hispanic Committee of Virginia

Newcomer Community Service Center

Northern Virginia Community College

Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP)–Adult ESL Program

Virginia Office of Newcomer Services, Department of Social Services

Dearborn, MI Arab American and Chaldean Council

Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services

Dearborn Schools Adult Education

Michigan Family Independence Agency

Henry Ford Community College–English Language Institute

International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit

Islamic Center Of America Women’s Society

Italian American Cultural Center

Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development, Inc.

Michigan Commission on Spanish Speaking Affairs

Michigan State Office of Adult Education

National Association of Yemeni Americans

Office of the Mayor of Dearborn

Houston,TX Jewish Community Center

Catholic Charities, Cabrina Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance

Harris County Clerk’s Office, Office of Beverly Kaufman, County Clerk

Houston Community College–Community and Adult Education

Mayor’s Office on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (MOIRA)

Mexican Institute of Greater Houston

National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)–Houston

North Harris County Community College–Adult Education/EL Civics

Cy-Fair College–Project GREAT Center

Boat People S.O.S., Houston Branch Office

Texas Learns–Harris County Department of Education

The Alliance for Multicultural Community Services

YMCA International Services

Appendix C:

Focus Group Participant List
PAGE 16

Lincoln, NE Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law and Public Interest

Asian Community and Cultural Center

Catholic Social Services (Catholic Charities)

Lancaster County, City of Lincoln Health and Human Services

State of Nebraska Health and Human Services, Economic and Family Support System

Lincoln Action Program

Lincoln Literacy Center

Lincoln Public Schools–Federal Programs, Migrant Education

Nebraska Equal Opportunities Commission

Southeast Community College–ESL Program

State of Nebraska Mexican American Commission

Lowell, MA African Assistance Center of Greater Lowell

Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association

Eliot Presbyterian Church

Enterprise Community, City of Lowell

International Institute of Lowell

Lao Family Mutual Association

Lowell Adult Education Center

Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers

Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants

Middlesex Community College

Refugee and Immigrant Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Saint Julie Asian Center

Oakland, CA Asians for Job Opportunities in the Bay Area (AJOB)

Berkeley Adult School, Berkeley Unified School District

Catholic Charities of the East Bay

Childcare and Refugees Program Branch, State of California Department of Social Services

East Bay Refugee Forum

Family Bridges

Jewish Family and Children Services of the East Bay

Neighborhood Centers Adult School, Oakland Unified School District

Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation

Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker’s Office, Alameda County Board of Supervisors

Portland, OR Asian Health and Service Center

City of Eugene, Human Rights Program, City Manager's Office

Clackamas Community College–ESL Program

Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization

Lutheran Community Services N.W.

Mt. Hood Community College–Adult Basic Skills Department

Office of the Governor

Oregon Department of Human Resources, Refugee Program Unit

Portland Community College–Adult Basic Skills Program

Russian Oregon Social Services

Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees