Carnegie Corporation’s stance on immigrant civic integration stems from Andrew Carnegie’s conviction that immigrant integration is essential to American democracy and economic prosperity, and contends that American democracy cannot flourish without fixing the nation’s “broken” immigration system.

The number of foreign-born people residing in the United States is at the highest level in U.S. history. Yet millions of immigrants lack a clear pathway to citizenship, and have limited opportunities for participation in American society. To change that picture, the nation needs more effective immigration policies, along with stronger systems for bringing immigrants into the pluralistic mainstream of civic and economic life.

The failure of Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation in 2007, coupled with the Corporation’s commitment to helping newcomers take advantage of the country’s educational and economic opportunities, have led us to adopt four key areas of support as levers of change: 

• Strategic communications

• Strengthening the capacity of the immigrant integration field

• Citizenship and nonpartisan civic engagement

• Improved policy development

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