Safeguarding Immigrant Services:
Why New Jersey needs to permanently establish the Office of New Americans
We need your help! Join us in advocating for the codification of New Jersey’s Office of New Americans (ONA) by encouraging your legislators to pass A2486/S2496.
The New Jersey Legislature is currently considering a bill that would codify ONA in state law under the Department of Human Services, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the office. We need your support in calling on our legislature to adopt this legislation! The ONA provides vital support services to New Jersey’s immigrant community. The legal services programs the office administers have supported over 2,000 children, preventing family separation and helping them start their journeys in the United States on the right track!
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What is the Office of New Americans? In 2019, the Office of New Americans (ONA) was established by Governor Murphy under Executive Order 79. The ONA’s primary focus is to unite all New Jerseyans, break down barriers, alleviate immigrant families’ struggles to integration, and rebuild trust between government entities and immigrant communities.
What does ONA do? Since it was established, ONA has focused on meeting the rising needs of the immigrant community by providing legal and social services, conducting research and outreach directly to immigrant communities to understand their specific needs, increasing accessibility to vital resources and education, and consulting with other executive agencies to develop best practices for those with different immigrant backgrounds. Additionally, ONA oversees and administers New Jersey’s Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) in partnership with the International Rescue Committee’s New Jersey’s Office for Refugees (IRC-NJOR).
In 2024, the Office of New Americans administered support to over 10,000 ORR eligible individuals, including refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian Humanitarian Parolees, Afghan evacuees and Ukrainians. Additionally, ONA administers legal services programs that have supported nearly 3,000 adults and over 2,000 children which has prevented family separation and community disruption throughout the state.
Why does ONA need to be permanently established? Although ONA has been operating and providing services to the immigrant community since 2019, its future is not certain. Since ONA was established by executive order, it is possible that a future Governor’s administration could eliminate the office by executive order. Adopting this bill would enshrine ONA in state statute under the Department of Human Services, safeguarding it from future administrations who may not appreciate the vital services it provides to New Jersey’s immigrant community, and would make it more difficult to eliminate this office. Ultimately, by codifying ONA, New Jersey can affirm that it both welcomes and recognizes the value of the immigrant population, whose contributions benefit all of New Jersey’s residents.
🗣️ Contact your Legislators:
Find your district and legislators here.
Call or email New Jersey Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee leadership and the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee leadership and urge them to support A2486/S2496, codifying the ONA:
Assemblywoman Shanique Speight (Chair)
AswSpeight@njleg.org
(862) 237-9752
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Dear [Chairman/woman...],
My name is [Your Name], and I am contacting you to ask you to support bill A2486/S2496, codifying New Jersey’s Office of New Americans and to post it to your next Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee/Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee
I support the work of the Office of New Americans, which provides essential services to New Jersey’s immigrant community, including immigrant children, and helps to unite all New Jerseyans, break down barriers, and rebuild trust between government entities and immigrant communities. I believe it is extremely important to codify this office to ensure its important work can continue long-term.
Since it was established, ONA has performed outreach with New Jersey’s immigrant community to respond to their emerging needs and crises that impact New Americans and helped to increase accessibility to vital state programs. The office has administered support to over 10,000 ORR eligible individuals and legal services programs that have supported nearly 3,000 adults and over 2,000 children, preventing family separation and community disruption throughout the state.
By codifying the office, the legislature will send an important message to New Jersey’s immigrant community that New Jersey is a state which both welcomes and recognizes the value of the immigrant population, whose contributions benefit all of New Jersey’s residents.
I see your support of this bill as crucial and urge you to support its passage.
Thank you for your time.
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My name is [Your Name]. I am a constituent, and I am calling to ask Senator/Assemblymember...to support bill A2486/S2496, codifying the Office of New Americans and ensuring its work can continue long-term.
ONA has provided valuable support to NJ immigrants, including by helping them access services. Its programs have helped support refugee resettlement and provided legal services to those in need, including young immigrant children.
With all the negative actions at the federal level occurring against the immigrant community we can show that New Jersey supports its immigrant community by codifying the Office of New Americans. I urge you to support this bill.
Thank you.