The NIIC Executive Committee is excited to announce that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party candidate for U.S. President, will address the group on Monday, December 14 at 4:30pm in Brooklyn, NY. Candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties have b
een invited to address the nearly one thousand participants from across the country, including policy makers, advocates, educators, business leaders, culture shapers, community stakeholders, and more. Congressman Luis V. Gutiérrez will introduce the Secretary.
The eighth annual conference - "New American Dreams: Advancing Opportunity, Equality & Justice" – runs from December 13-15, 2015, and is co-hosted by the National Partnership for New Americans and the New York Immigration Coalition, along with Executive Committee members Make the Road NY and Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. NIIC will be held at the New York Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge and aims to connect a bold and dynamic immigrant integration movement with a broader group of stakeholders to drive inclusion and impact together.
Conference organizers, who include leaders from the largest regional immigrant rights organizations in over 30 states, have invited 2016 presidential candidates to discuss and respond to the New American Dreams Platform. The Platform aims to broaden and deepen the current political discourse about immigration and, in the long run, ensure that all candidates be genuinely, robustly pro-immigrant. "We are very pleased to welcome Secretary Hillary Clinton to the largest and most dynamic NIIC yet to address our communities and be part of critical conversations on shaping a platform for New Americans that includes a robust plan for immigrant integration," Eva Millona, NPNA Co-Chair and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.
"In this moment when other political figures are engaging the politics of fear, it is extremely significant that Secretary Clinton is joining us to defend American values and to strengthen our nation of immigrants," said Joshua Hoyt, Executive Director of the National Partnership for New Americans. "We thank Representative Luis Gutiérrez for personally encouraging Secretary Clinton to attend our flagship event." 
The New American Dreams Platform will be launched at the conference which offers an opportunity for elected officials, policymakers, academics, community organizers, and national partners to engage in robust discussion and strategic planning. The Platform is comprised of six planks - citizenship, English language learning, education, the economy, health, and an inclusive society - and meet the needs of various New American constituencies, including naturalized citizens, legal permanent residents, undocumented immigrants, children of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and people of various countries of origin, skill, and education levels.
"We are delighted to have Secretary Hillary Clinton join us at NIIC to address over a thousand attendees from across the country who are eager to find solutions to some of the key integration issues facing America's immigrant communiteis today," said Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, the co-host for the 8th annual National Immigrant Integration Conference. "This year's NIIC in New York will help influence major policy decisions heading into 2016 and we look forward to discussing the future of immigrant integration with Secretary Clinton, Governor O'Malley, and all the Presidential candidates for our nation's highest office."
Javier Valdes, Executive Director of Make the Road New York said, "The NIIC is the nation’s premier event for addressing the critical issue of immigrant integration. We’re thrilled that Secretary Clinton will join us to hear from community members and share her platform on how to ensure that immigrants can realize their dreams."