PR: Your White House Immigration Update!

Press Release:

Friends:

This edition of our Immigration Action Update includes some great blog posts highlighting the economic benefits of supporting our immigrant entrepreneurs and showcasing events and meetings that have been led by the White House recently.

We also include some updates focusing on the progress taking place within various agencies to end workplace discrimination based on immigration status, and to encourage immigrant entrepreneurs to innovate and create jobs in our country. Finally, below you will find several conference call opportunities to engage with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture and discuss efforts to reach immigrant communities.

As always, please share with your networks!

Agency Updates  

Justice Department Launches Webinar Series on Avoiding Workplace Discrimination
November 29, 2011
The Justice Department announced the launch of a live webinar series on avoiding workplace discrimination. The webinars coincide with the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which created the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC). Read the full press release here and participate in a webinar by signing up here.

State Justice Institute: Setting New Priority Investment Areas
November 30, 2011
The State Justice Institute (SJI) is a federally established organization that awards grants to improve the quality of justice in state courts and works to create better coordination between State and Federal courts. Recently, the SJI Board of Directors announced new priority investment areas to allocate financial resources. Among these new priorities, Limited English Proficiency and Immigration Issues in the State Courts have been recognized. Read more about this announcement here.

USCIS Office of Public Engagement: Entrepreneurs in Residence Announcement
December 9, 2011
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has posted a job announcement and begun accepting applications from business experts to serve on the USCIS Entrepreneurs in Residence tactical team. The purpose of the tactical team is to bring business experts in-house to work alongside USCIS staff to ensure that current immigration laws’ potential to attract foreign entrepreneurial talent is fully realized. The tactical team will help us develop policy guidance and training tools that support our decision-makers.  Read more about this announcement, here.

USCIS Develops Transformation System: Testing in Progress
December 2, 2011
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is in the post-development testing phase of a new system that will transform our paper-based agency into an electronic, online organization.  This is an unprecedented step for the world’s largest and most complex immigration system.  To view the most recent development – the USCIS Electronic Immigration System (ELIS) – and read more about the progress USCIS is making, click here.

A New Hiring Guide for America’s Agricultural Employers
December 13, 2011
Agricultural businesses large and small rely on seasonal workers.  When U.S. workers are not available, employers can utilize the H-2A program to hire temporary foreign workers to perform certain types of agricultural work.

Blog Highlights 

From Goya to Google, the Impact of Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Spurring Job Creation
December 1, 2011
In celebration of National Entrepreneurship Month, Ellen Kim, Senior Advisor in the Office of Investment and Innovation at the U.S. Small Business Administration wrote a blog on the importance of supporting immigrant innovators who play such a major role in growing the American economy. In this blog she highlights different initiatives being taken by the Obama administration to support our immigrant entrepreneurs. Read her full blog post here.

Got Startup Experience? Help Enhance the Pathways for Immigrant Entrepreneurs
December 13, 2011
It’s no secret that immigrant entrepreneurs make a major contribution to American economic growth and job creation.  It’s also no secret that we can do more to attract and retain the best and brightest seeking to come here and start new companies.  That’s why President Obama supports legislation to create a visa designed for startup founders, as part of a 21st century immigration system.

Community Leader Briefing with the National Farmworker Alliance
December 13, 2011
Last Thursday the Office of Public Engagement hosted 20 regional and national farm worker organizations at the White House for a Community Leader Briefing.  Senior Administration officials from the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Labor, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development as well as the Domestic Policy Council participated in the briefing to discuss issues related to migrant health, education, work protections, and immigration to name a few.

Thank you,

 

Julie Rodriguez
Associate Director
White House | Office of Public Engagement

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