Initiatives

Keys to success as new Americans include learning the language, joining in with local communities, pursuing full-time work opportunities, and integration into the financial system. These are considered in a research paper that we did in the early days of our mission titled "Elements of Refugee Success." (Note: Initially, our focus was on the influx of refugees coming from Afghanistan and thus the project was titled the Center for Refugee Success. Since we have expanded our focus to all new entrants to the United States as we believe the same lessons for success and concerns about assimilation apply). Accordingly, we will study and ultimately promote these topics as our key initiatives.

English is the bedrock and cultural currency of America. Acquiring our language allows new Americans full entrance to society. Empirically, learning English is one of the most important drivers of success for refugees and immigrants arriving in the United States. The lessons replicate abroad: learning English was also key to the success of Singapore following the visionary leadership of Lee Kuan Yew (and adopted also by Rwanda under Paul Kagame).
President Trump’s Executive Order 14224 Designating English as the Official Language of the United States clearly identifies the importance of a single common tongue for economic efficiencies, political participation and social cohesion. Implementation guidance by the Department of Justice further articulates the importance of this directive and lays out the steps the federal government will take to implement the Order.
A central pillar of our work is to advocate for English learning strategies and programming that can be efficiently delivered to those who need it and effectively conveyed so new citizens can fit into a common culture and engage fully as members of society.
Reliable real-time translation technologies are becoming increasingly affordable and widely adopted by individuals and institutions for accessibility. However useful AI can be at cutting costs and giving just enough of a boost for folks to keep up in English-only environments, this powerful aid must not be allowed to become a crutch that disempowers. Everyone should aspire to enjoy fluency in a common language for living together as fellow citizens, and never settle for merely transacting through apps.
Appropriate use of AI should be directed to gradually increase proficiency in English, and not undermine or substitute for engaging in the American language.

Integration into the social fabric of a neighborhood community is another driver for success and fulfillment as a new American, starting from a basic comfort level in speaking together. Whether it is a local chamber of commerce, church or Facebook moms group, becoming connected to a group of neighbors and local residents can mean new opportunities and a feeling of acceptance and belonging. Partnering with entities like churches who are already promoting American values and beliefs to allow new entrants to succeed and turn their back on opportunities for extremist behavior or relationships is one critical aspect of our efforts.

Building a new life in a strange land brings immense challenges. Through gainful employment and community integration, this new foundation can be built. Often, this is a two-step process. Accelerating the transition period to begin earning income is a critical first step. Finding purpose in employment to go from gigwork or a seasonal job to build a career can be a much harder second step. The private sector can help. Professional networking can connect legal immigrants with communities of employers seeking their specific skills, as well as angel investors, partners, co-founders and distribution channels to support their small businesses.

For the full exercise of civil rights, legal immigrants need access to financial services requiring documentation of their status. Digital identity allows title and exchange of property, and ends the corruption and exploitation that can occur when forced to transact only in cash.
Financial inclusion to bank the unbanked yields better security by reducing their vulnerability and focusing enforcement against a very small number of bad actors. Financial institutions are well motivated by regulators as well as the business case to expand their customer base, and should work together with the government to welcome new Americans.