First developed by OMH in 2000, the national CLAS Standards have been widely circulated and implemented. In 2010, OMH launched a project to update the Standards to reflect growth in the field of cultural competency and increasing diversity in the nation. The new Standards emerged out of an extensive consultation process with stakeholders and experts, many of whom recommended clarification as to the Standards' intention, terminology and implementation strategies.

Report File: 

OMH_National_Standards_for_Culturally_and_Linguistically_Appropriate_Services_in_Health.pdf

The author of this policy brief titled "Legalization of Undocumented Immigrants Can Reduce Crime," Scott Ross Baker, predicts a significant reduction in crime as a result of U.S. President Barack Obama's Deferred Action Program. He bases his conclusion on research showing sharp drops in crime after the implementation of the 1986 legalization program - a reduction apparently unrelated to any other possible explanatory variable.

Report File: 

Baker_Legalization_Can_Reduce_Crime.pdf

"Amnesty in Immigration: Forgetting, Forgiving, Freedom" analyzes the meanings of "amnesty" in political discourse. The author identifies three separate, but sometimes overlapping, meanings, which she describes as forgive-and-forget, administrative reset, and vindication. "Forgive-and-forget" emphasizes the state's beneficence in granting pardon for the initial offense, as well as the seriousness of the original offense, often prompting the state to set qualifying conditions for amnesty, e.g. fines, loss of benefits, community services, public apology, etc.

Report File: 

Bosniak_Amnesty_in_Immigration.pdf

Commissioned by the J.M. Kaplan Fund, "Resettlement at Risk: Meeting Emerging Challenges to Refugee Resettlement in Local Communities" explores the impact of resettlement on local communities and looks at the current rise of anti-refugee sentiment through case studies in three states: Tennessee, New Hampshire and Georgia.

Report File: 

Resettlement_at_Risk.pdf

The concept of an immigration "line" has been a contentious point in the immigration reform debate. This brief, "Going to the Back of the Line:  A Primer on Lines, Visa Categories and Wait Times," examines the family- and employment-based immigration channels to dispel the myth of a single immigration line. The author outlines the current visa categories for family and employment and their annual caps and describes the two-step application and approval processes for legal permanent residence (LPR).

Report File: 

MPI_Going_to_the_Back_of_the_Line.pdf