Last month, Governor Rod Blagojevich signed the “New Americans Executive Order,” an initiative that will create an office to coordinate policies and programs to help new immigrants assimilate to the state, provide services to the immigrants living in Illinois and to study the impact of immigration policy on the state.

According to a press release from the office of the governor, the new state policy will create the following four entities:

• Office of New Americans Policy and Advocacy in the Governor’s Office - will coordinate the policies, actions, planning, and programs of the state’s government with respect to immigrant integration in Illinois, and the impact of immigration policy on Illinois and Illinoisans.

• New Americans Immigrant Policy Council - will consult with immigrant leaders, state governmental leaders, and national policy experts to recommend strategic directions on key issues. The Policy Council will be comprised of 15 Illinois business, faith, labor, community, and philanthropic leaders with experience in this field. In the next year, the Council will focus on a range of issues, including U.S. citizenship, human services, healthcare, and education.

• Public-private State Task Force - will examine, department-by-department, how state government can address the rapidly changing population of the state.

• A National Advisory Council - will help guide the work of the New Americans Executive Order Policy Project. The Council will consist of prominent national academics, business leaders, advocates and governmental practitioners who will lend their vision to the project and share the project’s recommendations through their national networks.

The order became effective once Governor Blagojevich signed it.  The policy has received support from national organizations focused on immigrant issues.