Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris to Speak on Immigrant and Refugee Inclusion Issues at NIIC 2020
Harris will headline the largest immigrant and refugee sector conference in her first address on immigration since the election
WASHINGTON – Vice President-elect Kamala Harris joins at the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC) 2020 TODAY Tuesday at noon ET, where she will address more than 2,000 immigrant and refugee advocates and leaders from more than 450 organizations from across the country meeting online Dec. 8-9. The address is expected to be the Vice President-elect’s first post-election immigration-related speech, and could signal how the administration will prioritize immigration issues moving forward.
Hosted by the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), the first-ever virtual NIIC 2020—New American Dreams – is happening just weeks from the swearing in of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, who have promised radical changes from the Trump administration’s destructive policies, including those adversely impacting immigrants and refugees and eroding America’s standing as a leader on global human rights issues.
“As the first person of color, woman, Black and South Asian person to be elected to the office of Vice President, we are thrilled to have Vice President-elect Harris join us this year at what promises to be one of the most energizing and significant NIIC gatherings over the past decade,” said Nicole Melaku, NPNA executive director. “We are looking forward to the Biden/Harris administration making good on its promise to turn the page on the last four years, and on the destruction caused by regressive and discriminatory policies. We are hopeful that a Biden agenda will include immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants without permanent status who are facing an uncertain future. The Vice President-elect’s choice to use this venue to speak about immigration is an encouraging sign of what we hope will be transformative strides towards justice in the years to come. So many people are inspired by her personal story and journey, intelligence, grit and natural affability. She is a symbol of hope and possibility that our communities urgently need, especially in this very difficult year.”
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will assume office at one of the most difficult times in modern U.S. history, taking the reins from an administration that has done little to mitigate the destructive force of the pandemic and has inflamed division, pitting communities against one another.
Furthermore, President-elect Biden has promised to put an end to the deliberately cruel and racist immigration and refugee policies implemented under President Trump’s tenure to discourage poor immigrants and refugees of color from entering the country, including his infamous separation of children from their families at the border. More than 540 children are still not reunited with their loved ones.
NIIC 2020 – New American Dreams, emceed by journalist and author Maria Hinojosa, is anchored by NPNA and a robust cohort of national partners, including: the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Church World Service, Immigration Hub, National Immigration Law Center , Unidos US, UNITE HERE, World Education Services, MIRA Coalition, and the New York Immigration Coalition .
The December virtual gathering kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 8. To ensure the event reaches the broadest possible audience, tickets to attend the entire virtual NIIC cost just $15.
To visit the NIIC 2020 website go here. Find more details on the NIIC schedule and program here. For information on the two-day invitation-only Black Virtual NIIC for Black and African Diaspora leaders hosted by BAJI, see here.