Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Blog

  • A Nation of Immigrants: Welcoming New Americans to the United States

    Posted by David Agnew on September 20, 2013 at 5:09 PM EDT

    Alexandria Naturalization Ceremony

    David Agnew, Alexandria Mayor William Euille and members of the Alexandria City Council celebrate the naturalization of twenty-five new Americans at the Alexandria City Hall.

    Communities across the country came together this week to celebrate Constitution Day, Citizenship Day, and Constitution Week.  The President celebrated the historical influence of immigrants of all backgrounds in his 2013 Proclamation for Constitution Day, Citizenship Day and Constitution Week:

    “We are a proud Nation of immigrants, home to a long line of aspiring citizens who contributed to their communities, founded businesses, or sacrificed their livelihoods so they could pass a brighter future on to their children. Each year on Citizenship Day, we welcome the newest members of the American family as they pledge allegiance to our Constitution and join us in writing the next chapter of our national story.”

    Last week, I had the honor of joining Mayor Bill Euille in welcoming twenty-five new Americans from fourteen countries during a naturalization ceremony at Alexandria City Hall.  Each participant in the ceremony is a testament to the promise of the American dream that says no matter who you are, where you came from, what your last name is, or what you believe, if you come to America and work hard then you can make it if you try.

    I witnessed proof of that dream in Alexandria, a city that just like every other city in America was made great by the immigrants that built businesses, schools and homes and struggled for a better life.

    I also saw proof of that limitless possibility looking back at me from the front row in the face of Zofia Dubicka. Zofia came to the United States from Germany at age 3, but only discovered that she was not a U.S. citizen this year, 64 years later.  Her family left Poland at the end of World War II and her parents became naturalized citizens when she was a teenager, but they never filed for Zofia’s citizenship.  Becoming a citizen of the United States, she said, was “to know how my father felt when he experienced becoming a citizen; to be proud, as always, to have been able to live here.”  You can read more about Zofia’s story here.

    What this ceremony reminded me is that we are the greatest nation in the history of the world because we are a nation of immigrants.  The story of our wealth and our prosperity is the story of those immigrants who came to our shores and made us stronger, by creating and striving and doing their jobs better than anyone else in the world.

    I look forward to seeing what each of our newest citizens writes into the next chapter of the great American story.    

    David Agnew is Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs

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  • Chattanooga Mayor Discusses President Obama's Economic Vision

    Posted by Elias Alcantara on August 1, 2013 at 10:30 AM EDT

    On Tuesday, President Obama traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee to talk about his plan to offer a better bargain for the middle class. The President's plan builds on the progress we've made to create good jobs that pay decent wages by investing in manufacturing, infrastructure, clean energy, and increasing exports. In his speech, the President laid out an idea to simplify our business tax system to eliminate loopholes as part of a package that makes investments we need to create good middle class jobs. 

    In Tennessee, the President called on Washington to work on a grand bargain focused on middle-class jobs by pairing reform of the business tax code with a significant investment in middle-class jobs. “We should be doing everything we can as a country to create more good jobs that pay good wages,” President Obama said. 

    President Obama’s plan for simplifying the corporate tax code would close loopholes, end incentives to ship jobs overseas, lower the rate for businesses creating jobs right here in America, provide tax incentives for manufacturers that bring jobs home to the United States, and simplify taxes for small business owners. 

    In anticipation of the President’s visit, Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke authored an op-ed on the President’s economic vision and how it continues to help strengthen middle class families in his city.  Check out this excerpt and read the full article online:

    "With his visit to Chattanooga, President Obama could not have picked a better place to highlight the economic recovery already in place and the need for all of us to work together to bolster the middle class. The president’s plan ignites a needed discussion on how we spur a renaissance in manufacturing, make strategic investments in technology, education and infrastructure, and create new ladders of opportunity for Chattanooga, for Tennessee, and for the nation."

    Find out more about the President Obama’s visit to Chattanooga and the President’s Economic vision for cities across the country.

     

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  • Recognizing Leaders in Youth Job Creation

    Posted by Danielle Gray and Jonathan Greenblatt on July 24, 2013 at 9:36 AM EDT

    Youth Jobs Logo

    President Obama is focused on accelerating economic recovery and boosting job creation for all Americans, particularly key segments that need better access to long-term employment. Last year, the White House Council for Community Solutions called attention to Opportunity Youth, the 6.7 million Americans between 16-24 years old and disconnected from school and work. The Council spent more than 18 months conducting research, hosting roundtables, and developing a robust set of recommendations on how to harness their extraordinary potential. 

    The cross-sector ideas shared by the Council catalyzed numerous new initiatives in the public and private sector. Within government, the President issued the Youth Jobs+ challenge back in April to engage local elected officials along with business and community leaders to work together to connect young people with summer and year-round job opportunities.

    There are many ways to support Youth Jobs+. To support efforts to boost job creation this summer, the President directed senior Administration officials to participate in local “Youth Jobs+ Roundtables” in urban centers and rural communities, meeting with local elected officials and community partners to generate commitments for addressing employment and jobs training for underserved local youth. To date, 15 roundtables have taken place all over the country, and 15 more will take place through August in cities and jurisdictions across the country.

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  • State and Local Leaders Press Case for Commonsense Immigration Reform

    Posted by David Agnew on July 23, 2013 at 5:45 PM EDT

    As commonsense immigration reform moves from the Senate to the House, a growing coalition of elected officials from across the country is urging Congress to fix our broken system. Last month, we heard from bipartisan state and local officials from the South, Southwest, Northeast, West, and Midwest on why they support immigration reform and how it will help their communities. In the past few weeks, state and local elected officials have further intensified their efforts to urge Congressional action.

    State and local elected officials understand that commonsense immigration reform is the right policy for our country and makes good economic sense for middle class families. Earlier this month, the White House released a report highlighting the numerous and varied economic benefits of fixing our broken immigration system, including helping to grow our economy by creating new business and jobs.

    Yesterday, White House Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Muñoz spoke about the local economic costs of inaction on the federal level:

    "Because the crux of the matter is that, while Congress and the federal government have the authority to set immigration law and enforce it, local governments live with the results of what Congress does and fails to do."

    Below are some of the elected officials who recently added their voices in support for commonsense immigration reform:

    On July 17th, Governors from 15 states sent a letter to Congress urging them to pass commonsense immigration reform and highlighting the economic benefits to their states.

    "We all recognize that immigrants contribute a great deal to our economy and our culture. We should make sure they are fully integrated into the social, civic and economic fabric of American life and have access to the same opportunities to succeed as everyone else. As Governors, we encourage you to adopt bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation that reflects the values of our nation and contributes to the growth of our economies.”

    After the U.S. Senate approved a comprehensive immigration bill on June 27th, the U.S. Conference of Mayors issued the following statement:

    “The nation’s mayors applaud the Senate’s decisive passage of bipartisan legislation that will repair our broken immigration system…We urge the House of Representatives to follow the Senate’s strong lead and adopt comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform legislation this year. This is the right thing to do for our families, our cities, our economy, and our country.”

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  • Know Anyone Who Helps Youth Find Jobs? They Might Be Invited to the White House!

    Posted by Valerie Jarrett and Danielle Gray on July 16, 2013 at 10:16 AM EDT

    Ed note: This blog is cross-posted from the Youth Jobs+ page.

    Do you remember your first job? For young people, a first job always provides invaluable lessons that they’ll use the rest of their lives.

    Today, we’re issuing a challenge: tell us who the youth jobs champions are in your community by July 19 – the people or organizations who are having the biggest impact on preparing your community’s underserved youth to join the workforce. Those selected as Youth Jobs+ Champions of Change will be recognized at an event at the White House later this summer. 

    The White House Champions of Change program highlights individuals, businesses, and organizations whose extraordinary stories and accomplishments have made a difference in our communities.  The Youth Jobs+ Champions of Change event will honor heroes who are helping young people develop the skills and work ethic that come with employment. It will also honor some of the determined, extraordinary young people who have participated in these programs.

    President Obama knows the impact that jobs can have on our nation’s youth. That’s why in April, he challenged local elected officials and business and community leaders to work together to connect young people with summer and year-round job opportunities. 

    In addition, we’ve been co-hosting Youth Jobs+ Roundtables across the country with local leaders. These roundtables bring together senior Administration officials, local elected officials and community partners to generate commitments for addressing employment and jobs training for underserved local youth.  So far, 17 roundtables have taken place in communities across the country, in small towns like Wyandanch, New York and in big cities like Portland, Oregon. In July, we expect 11 additional roundtables will take place throughout the U.S.

    To learn more about President Obama’s Youth Jobs+ initiative, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/youthjobs. To nominate a Champion, or learn more about the White House Champions of Change program, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions.  The open nomination period closes Friday, July 19.

    Valerie B. Jarrett is a Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversees the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chairs the White House Council on Women and Girls. Danielle Gray is Cabinet Secretary and Assistant to the President.

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  • Local Officials Help Welcome More Than 7,800 New Citizens During Independence Day Celebrations

    Posted by David Agnew on July 4, 2013 at 12:17 PM EDT

    One week after the United States Senate passed a bipartisan immigration bill, local officials helped celebrate Independence Day by participating in naturalization ceremonies to welcome new American citizens. From July 1st to July 5th, over 7,800 individuals will become new citizens at more than 100 special ceremonies across the country and around the world. These ceremonies are part of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) annual celebration of Independence Day .

    “With this ceremony today -- and ceremonies like it across our country -- we affirm another truth: Our American journey, our success, would simply not be possible without the generations of immigrants who have come to our shores from every corner of the globe.  We say it so often, we sometimes forget what it means -- we are a nation of immigrants” said President Obama last year, during a July 4th naturalization ceremony at the White House.

    Across the country, local officials joined in the celebration to welcome the new citizens to the country and to their communities:

    Miami, FL

    On July 4th, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez delivered remarks at a naturalization ceremony at the Freedom Tower in Miami, Florida. At this ceremony, 211 citizenship candidates from 50 countries became U.S. citizens.

    During his remarks, Mayor Gimenez said, "We are indeed a nation of immigrants, and with each successive generation and each new wave of new comers, our cultural fabric becomes even richer. I understand that you- soon to be our newest citizens- hail from 50 different nations and that really says it all. There's clearly an important debate going on right now about the future of immigration. And it's my sincere hope that American will always remain the 'shining city on the hill' that the great President Ronald Reagan often spoke of." 

    Chicago, IL
     
    Chicago Mayor Emanuel participates in a Naturalization ceremony at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, IL.

    (Photo courtesy City of Chicago)

    On July 3rd, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel participated in a naturalization ceremony at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois. At this ceremony, 71 citizenship candidates from 32 countries became U.S. citizens. 

    Following the ceremony, Mayor Emanuel shared, “We are a nation of immigrants and it is fitting that we hold this ceremony to welcome all of our new citizens the day before we celebrate the 4th of July and our nation's independence. Now, after the Senate’s historic vote, it is time for all of us to call on the United States House of Representatives to take quick action to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that is true to our values as a nation and will create value for our city long into the future.”  

    Tampa, FL
     
    Tampa Mayor Buckhorn delivers the keynote address at a naturalization ceremony

    (Photo courtesy City of Tampa)

    On July 4th, Tampa Mayor Buckhorn delivered the key note address at a naturalization ceremony at the Tampa Bay History Center in Tampa, Florida. At this ceremony, 65 citizenship candidates from 27 countries became U.S. citizens.

    Before the ceremony, Mayor Buckhorn said, “Each Independence Day, we celebrate our founding fathers, the revolutionaries who fought for freedom, and defined what it means to be an American. It is also the prefect day to celebrate the immigrants who continue to come to the United States, as they have for generations, in a similar search for a better life. A week ago, the Senate passed a bill that will fix our broken immigration system by securing our border, reforming the legal process, and providing undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship. This reform honors our history and reflects the core values that we share. To the thousands of men and women across the country who will become citizens this Independence Day, I say: Welcome home.” 

    David Agnew is Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

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