Press Contact: Jon Pattee
202-591-5778, jpattee@lirs.org
BALTIMORE, MD, Sept. 18, 2012 – Immigrants and refugees create jobs and boost the economic health of America’s communities, say Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) staff who will present at the September 22-25 National Immigrant Integration Conference 2012 (NIIC 2012).
NIIC 2012, the largest national conference to bring together immigrant integration leaders and advocates from across the country, takes place at the Baltimore Hilton.
“NIIC 2012 showcases the fact that immigrants and refugees are key contributors to economic growth in American communities, so we’re glad to be on the national committee that helped plan this important event,” said Stacy Martin, LIRS Vice President for Mission Advancement.
“NIIC 2012 is doing a great job of including refugees in the big picture of immigrant contributions to revitalizing communities, and we’re honored to support the main organizers, the National Partnership for New Americans, and the host, Casa de Maryland,” said Martin.
“NIIC 2012 shows how immigrants and refugees benefit our businesses and communities,” said Randy Johnson, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President for Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits.
“Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Creating Jobs and Strengthening the Economy, a recent joint report by the Chamber and the Immigration Policy Center, maps out the ways that immigrant businesses create jobs for U.S. workers and contribute to America’s economic growth,” said Johnson, who is also a co-chair of NIIC 2012 and a former LIRS board member.
NIIC 2012 presenters will include Fabio Lomelino, LIRS Project Director for Community Conversations, and Megan Bremer, LIRS Interim Director for Access to Justice. Other NIIC 2012 presenters include Randy Johnson, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
NIIC 2012 participants are invited to a LIRS screening and reception for the PBS documentary “America By The Numbers” on September 22, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at LIRS headquarters, 700 Light St. in Baltimore. The 30min film shows how refugees are a powerful force for economic renewal in the United States.
National Immigrant Integration Conference is the signature event of the National Partnership for New Americans. Now in its fifth year, the conference has grown in size, scope, and vision every year since 2008. Please visit www.integrationconference.org to learn more.
LIRS is nationally recognized for its leadership advocating on behalf of refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, immigrants in detention, families fractured by migration and other vulnerable populations, and for providing services to migrants through over 60 grassroots legal and social service partners across the United States. Please visit lirs.org to learn more.