More than 50 municipal and county governments recognized for immigrant integration efforts
The White House has honored the City of Houston and more than 50 other U.S. cities and county governments for their innovative and proactive efforts to bring all residents into their communities’ cultural and economic fabric. Houston’s Office of International Communities was recognized for its successful community partnerships designed to serve the city’s burgeoning immigrant and refugee population through programs promoting civic engagement, citizenship application assistance and language access.
“The City of Houston is honored to be part of this growing movement which recognizes that welcoming all residents, including immigrants who have made this country their new home is the right thing to do, in line with the ideal of inclusiveness that we all value as Americans,” said Mayor Turner. “It is also smart economic policy for us to work as unified communities to build and maintain a strong economy and enhance our nation’s global competitive edge.”
The governmental entities honored are part of the Building Welcoming Communities Campaign, a partnership of The White House Task Force on New Americans, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Welcoming America, a national nonprofit organization that encourages communities to engage in local immigrant integration efforts.
U.S. President Barack Obama has called on these communities to act on a set of principles to build inclusive, welcoming communities that allow all residents to thrive and advance integration efforts in three core areas: civic, economic, and linguistic integration.
For more about the Building Welcoming Communities Campaign, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration/new-americans
For more information about the Office of International Communities, a division of the Department of Neighborhoods, call 832.393.1010 or visit https://www.houstontx.gov.
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