NIIC 2019 Tracks  

At the heart of NIIC are our issue area Tracks — which focus on key topic areas in the field of immigrant and refugee integration. They comprise over 50% of the program time at NIIC. Each year, we strive to include some Tracks that have often been featured at NIIC, as well as timely topics that speak to current issues, concerns and trends.  

Typically organized into 10-14 issue areas, the Tracks are comprised by ~30-40 sessions (workshops, panels, etc.) total, with 3-4 sessions in each Track area. Each year, 120-150+ speakers and presenters from 100-130+ organizations are featured throughout these sessions.

The Tracks are developed by national teams of experts in each subject area, over 40 Track Leads in total.  Read more about our Track Leads here.

The Tracks are open to all NIIC attendees with no advance sign-up required. Tracks are held in 6 different timing blocks over NIIC’s 3 days (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday). The schedule of Track sessions will be available in early October.

The 2019 Tracks are as follows; more detailed information about each Track will be available in early October:

Access to Justice

We continue to fight back amidst increased ICE enforcement, efforts to expand expedited removal and deny due process for immigrants, and the dangerous resourcing of detention centers and jails that further criminalizes our communities. Organizers, advocates, elected officials and allies are expressing outrage and demanding access to justice for immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and all communities impacted by the mass detention and mass incarceration systems. This Track will look into the campaigns that seek to shut down detention centers and jails; the local and statewide victories that publicly fund the spectrum of legal services, from Community Navigators to universal representation; federal legislative initiatives to expand the right to counsel, and the powerful community defense and rapid response work that show us that the safest community is an organized community. 

America as a Refuge: The Shifting Ground for Humanitarian Protection in the United States

Our systems of humanitarian protection—from refugee resettlement and asylum to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED)—are being systematically dismantled. As the political ground for refuge shifts and forced global migration continues to rise, how should we respond? How might we better understand and address the root causes of migration? How can we protect our communities now, as we lay the groundwork for new systems and support networks? This Track provides a series of strategy sessions and workshops, featuring leaders in the field and opportunities to delve deeply into the issues. Together we will explore, share and brainstorm creative solutions, initiatives and programs aimed at ensuring the United States remains a nation of refuge.

Census 2020: We Count

Who counts in this country is a critical question that will determine everything from political representation to school, healthcare, and other social services. While the Supreme Court has determined that the Trump administration has not justified a citizenship question being placed in the 2020 Census, immigrant and refugee communities and their organizations must continue fighting to ensure that hard-to-count communities are included in next year’s census and that our communities are aware of the process and everything that is at stake. This Track will cover the basics of the Census, explore successful strategies for reaching heard-to-count communities, and discuss redistricting and the mapping of political power.  

Education as a Gateway

Education is a key indicator for multiple life outcomes including socioeconomic status, workforce access, health and well-being. This essential and historical gateway for newcomers to fully integrate, thrive and pursue their American Dreams is being fundamentally threatened by efforts to prevent immigrant communities from accessing education. This Track will discuss how communities are collaborating to provide a quality education for all through innovative strategies that support adults, children and communities in an effort to improve intergenerational outcomes. 

Full Citizenship for All: Beyond a Piece of Paper

This Track covers strategies for motivating over nine million eligible residents to become citizens and unleashing the intrinsic political power of citizens and aspiring citizens alike through immersive civic engagement techniques. Through the exploration of civic life, this Track will ensure that programs and activities aim beyond naturalization and voting, actualizing power that transcends citizenship certificates or ballots. By ensuring full participation and agency in public affairs, immigrants and non- immigrants will be equipped to respond to the unique challenges posed by this administration, including the recent “second wall” attacks on citizenship orchestrated by the White House. 

Healthcare for All

Immigrant communities are facing barriers to health care that have deep implications for our country. New American families are unable to successfully integrate due to their inability to engage with the healthcare system. Sessions in this Track will discuss challenges and solutions to address affordability and accessibility in health care while laying the foundation for a future in which we all have equitable access to health care. 

Language Access, Advocacy & Participation

The acquisition of English language skills along with access to language services is one of the most significant barriers preventing immigrants from connecting and participating - civically, economically, and culturally - into U.S. society. However, innovative English programs; language access advocacy campaigns at the local, state and federal levels; and, a deeper understanding and training on creating multilingual spaces are showing communities and governments how to break down these barriers. This Track features organizations putting into practice effective English teaching models, municipalities leading the way in language access, and multilingual interpreters creating spaces for all languages to be heard.  

We Won’t Be Divided: Opposing Hate & Powering Racial Justice

This Track will address the impact of organized bigotry on movements for racial justice and immigrant and refugee rights. It will create space for sharing tactics and local knowledge, exploring new opportunities and challenges for coalition-building, and addressing anti-democratic threats. Sessions will build shared political analysis of hate movements and their attempts to wedge progressive movements; will identify ways to advance our agenda through strategic coalition-building; explore local resistance to organized bigotry; address community and government responses to hate violence, including ways in which authoritarian movements attempt to mobilize law enforcement toward their goals; and examine federal-level anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant and refugee activity, with a focus on the Muslim Ban, its impact, and advocacy against it. 

Shared Prosperity: Immigrant Economic Inclusion

Immigrants and refugees are key contributors to the economy at every level. Increasingly, communities across the nation are recognizing that economic growth and opportunity is deeply tied to the successful inclusion of immigrants and refugees. The landscape of innovative initiatives around economic integration and inclusion has grown and become more diverse, in large part due to the advocacy and relationship building across the private and public sectors at the local, state and federal level. This Track will focus on developing networks to build welcoming economies, and leveraging economic development strategies to better engage the private sector as a key partner in integration.

Welcoming & Inclusive Society

As we continue to face deep divisions and increasing attacks on our communities, we seek to explore new and deep ways to be welcoming. Creating a truly welcoming society involves changing our culture, how we treat each other, our policies, and our systems. This Track will look at innovative and creative ways to change the narrative around meritocracy, examine examples of more inclusive municipal and state policies, and discuss how we can build bridges and connections at the local level.

Winning in 2020 and Beyond: Strategies to Improve Democratic Engagement

Democracies are rooted in the community’s ability to engage in the political process. With a critical election year nearly upon us, we must rethink what civic engagement looks like for our communities. Sessions will cover new approaches to civic engagement and pragmatic steps to ensuring a more welcoming future.  

Women in Action: Our Rights, Leadership & Vision

Women are at the heart of our movements and communities and are making our voices heard in the political realm in historic numbers. This Track will create space for women leaders to strengthen connections, learn from and inspire each other, and put our experience front and center. Sessions will include a spotlight on women’s leadership in community defense efforts, a look at important national polling data on how immigrant, refugee and women of color’s concerns are -- and are not -- informing national policy strategies, and the particular challenges and opportunities for women considering running for office. All NIIC attendees are welcome.

SPECIAL SESSIONS

Each year, NIIC features a number of Special Sessions that are in addition to our issue area Tracks. Here is the line-up of this year's Special Sessions; additional details to be announced: