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November 1, 2024

3 keys to migrant inclusion

Rodrigo Rangel

Content Lead

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Immigrants often decide to leave their home countries due to economic, social, or labor-related issues, or even because of natural disasters. However, integrating these migrants into new cultures is not simple.

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Keys to improving immigrant inclusion

Inclusion should not only take place in public or common spaces, but also in access to education, work, and healthcare. To improve this, strategies must be implemented that promote activities and efforts from both sides: the immigrants and the society that receives them.

Several organizations have conducted research on how to implement strategies to promote cross-cultural integration.

Intergroup contact

Many schools of thought and research studies maintain that intergroup interaction, under the right circumstances, fosters trust between cultures and reduces discrimination and xenophobia.

These activities can take place in local centers or community programs that facilitate and promote these opportunities for integration and dialogue.

Job training programs

Foster empathy for immigrants through tangible initiatives, such as job training programs or language courses.

Inclusive policies

It is very important that the inclusion of migrants be fostered through local, state, and national policies. Governments at different levels must implement inclusion policies that protect the rights of both migrants and locals, and that encourage equality within the community.

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What do immigrants contribute to the United States?

Immigrants anywhere in the world can contribute many things; among them, they play a very important role in many social, economic, and civil policies.

But, specifically in the United States, a very positive trend resulting from immigration to the country is being analyzed. Several experts have begun to notice growth or a reactivation of the national economy because immigrants take on those jobs that other professionals do not choose.

Furthermore, they help cover the shortage of a young, working-age population that pays taxes, mitigating the effects of an aging local workforce and professional pool.

These migrants are constantly and actively seeking employment, and they often work in trades where labor is most needed, such as elderly care or home healthcare assistance.

Due to the high costs of the medical sector in the United States, these workers who are trained or specialize in home-based elderly care are an excellent option for this segment of the population that finds itself alone or with limited resources to afford a nursing home.

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What are immigrant inclusion policies like in the United States?

Although federal laws and regulations that impose a series of restrictions on immigrants are in effect at the national level, many states have begun to work independently to address certain federal shortcomings.

In this regard, various inclusive policies are being promoted so that immigrants can access public services, assistance programs, and other benefits. Some of these include access to more affordable university tuition, access to the healthcare system, and access to a driver's license.

According to Tanya Broder, a staff attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, many localities and states have realized the need to promote greater job security and economic assistance for immigrants.

These measures allow the community to achieve a higher level of security by maintaining a more up-to-date and detailed registry of individuals, and by ensuring that drivers and workers are qualified to perform those tasks.

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