Local Government and Immigrants

Positive Crossroads: Mexican Consular Assistance and Immigrant Integration,
National League of Cities, Practice Brief, 2012, 4 pp.
The 50 Mexican consulates in the United States are the largest and most extensive consular network of any foreign government in the country. For the last 20 years, and especially since the creation of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) in 2003, the Mexican consulates have fostered and developed programs to assist, educate and help Mexican citizens in the U.S. This publication provides brief summaries of the work undertaken by ten of these consulates in the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Illinois, Missouri, and New Mexico.

Immigrant Integration in Chicago's Suburbs: A Survey of Current Activities and Efforts,
Diversity Issues Task Force, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, February, 2012, 74 pp.
Reflecting the growing presence of immigrants in the Chicago suburbs and the related challenges faced by municipal leaders in providing services to them, the Guidebook is designed to overcome the "isolation" of some municipal leaders who are often unaware of successful immigrant-related initiatives in other communities. The report notes that "the increase in immigrants to Chicago's suburbs means that municipal governments are increasingly responsible for serving residents that are new not only to their community, but also the country." With support provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, an online survey was distributed to mayors, village managers, and Council of Government directors. The first section of the report summarizes responses from the 109 communities that responded to the survey. Follow-up interviews were conducted with leaders in 8 municipalities (Addison, Aurora, Bensenville, Carol Stream, Evanston, Mount Prospect, Schaumburg, and Skokie) whose work is profiled in greater detail in the next section. The final section of the report discusses the work of 13 "organizations located in the suburbs that offer services and resources for foreign-born residents." Three of these organizations are the Illinois Welcoming Center in North Riverside, the Language Access Resource Center of DuPage County, and the Mano a Mano Family Resource Center in Round Lake Park.

Staying Put but Still in the Shadows,
Center for American Progress, February, 2012, 24 pp.
This policy brief cites evidence from a University of California (San Diego) study of unauthorized Mexican immigrants in Oklahoma City - a city which passed punitive legislation against unauthorized immigrants in 2007 and 2009, well before similar state laws in Arizona, Georgia and Alabama. In 2010, a bi-national team of researchers surveyed nearly all adults between 15 and 65 in Tlacuitapa (Jalisco), Mexico - a town which sends many immigrants to Oklahoma City -- and several hundred migrants from the town who live in the United States. The researchers concluded that "at best, anti-immigrant laws simply drive immigrants from one area (of the country) to another." The essay also explains the main reasons why immigrants choose to remain in the country

Toolkit: Working on Integration at Local Level,
European Network against Racism (ENAR), November, 2011, 45 pp.
Consisting of over 700 organizations working to combat racism in member states of the European Union (EU), ENAR produced this Toolkit to call attention to local projects adhering to ENAR's 15 principles for ensuring a "positive approach" to immigrant integration. The Toolkit critiques certain aspects of EU public policy which tend to "dilute" or "subvert" integration goals. According to ENAR, "unless integration contributes to achieving equality, our communities will remain divided." The report profiles six promising integration projects in Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. All projects underwent "peer review" to determine whether they were successful in achieving their stated goals. The Toolkit concludes by outlining important steps that new integration projects should take to ensure successful outcomes.

Welcome Dayton: Immigrant Friendly City,
Report and Resolution,
City of Dayton, Human Relations Council, September, 2011, 30 pp.
The City of Dayton (Ohio), under the leadership of its Human Relations Council (HRC) and with the input of more than 100 individuals and community organizations, produced this "roadmap for the City of Dayton to become a nationally recognized Immigrant Friendly City." The plan was officially accepted by the Dayton City Commission on October 5, 2011. The plan contains 20 recommendations and is divided into four sections: business and economic development; local government and the justice system; social and health services; and community, culture, arts and education. An ordinance to establish a Welcome Dayton Committee, as well as "small part-time office within the HRC to staff the Welcome Dayton Committee," is under preparation. The plan is intended as a community-wide effort, involving both public and private partners.

Starting on Solid Ground: The Municipal Role in Immigrant Settlement,
Federation of Canadian Municipalities, 2011, 30 pp.
Referring to municipalities as "the front-line, first-responders for many immigrant needs," the authors of this report recommend a new approach to Canadian immigration policy, one that "engages municipalities to tailor solutions to local needs." Although Canadian municipalities are neither mandated nor funded to provide immigrant integration services, they are doing it anyway, particularly in the key areas of rental housing and public transportation, where immigrants are disproportionate users of these services. The report gives specific examples of municipal initiatives to promote immigrant integration and concludes with five recommendations, including urging the Canadian federal government to view municipalities as "key partners" in the resettlement process.

All Immigration is Local: Receiving Communities and Their Role in Successful Immigrant Integration,
Center for American Progress, September, 2011,
46 pp
Written by Michael Jones-Correa of Cornell University, this report argues for the engagement of receiving communities in immigrant integration efforts and suggests four key strategies to bring about such engagement: promoting strong local leadership, fostering contact between immigrants and the native-born, building partnerships between state and local government and immigrant communities, and reframing issues to counter misconceptions about immigrants. The report contains examples of how these strategies were employed in specific communities, with many examples drawn from convocation on the Receiving Communities Initiative, held in Washington, D.C., in December, 2010. The author emphasizes the importance of developing metrics for measuring the success of community engagement efforts, and concludes with a series of recommendations for philanthropic institutions and government at all levels. A companion "toolkit" to the report, with practical suggestions and information about local programs, will be released by the Spring Institute in October of 2011.

Crossroads of the World: New Americans in Middlesex County, New Jersey,
Program on Immigration and Democracy, Rutgers University, June, 2011, 21 pp.
Funded by the United Way of Central New Jersey and written by Dr. Anastasia R. Mann, this report provides a detailed picture of the foreign-born population in Middlesex County, home to the main campus of Rutgers University and the largest Asian population in New Jersey. The report covers the broad range of newcomer groups, including foreign-students, H1-B visa holders (New Jersey has one of the largest concentrations in the country), immigrant entrepreneurs, working class immigrants, and the undocumented. The author highlights some of the challenges facing human service agencies and labor organizations working with the more vulnerable segments of the immigrant population and offers some reflections on "policies to help newcomers and receiving communities alike."

Immigrant Integration: Resource Access and Cultural Exchange,
National League of Cities, City Practice Brief, 2011, 8 pp
This publication provides capsule summaries of 12 local government outreach programs designed to integrate immigrants into civic and community life. Programs vary in their scope and purpose. Some, such as the Russian Advisory Board in West Hollywood and theColoniasProgram in College Station, Texas, are focused on the needs of specific immigrant communities. Others, such as the Office of Multicultural and Religious Affairs of the City of Memphis, target the broader immigrant community. Programs also have different areas of emphasis. The Adopt-a-Mom Program in Guilford County, North Carolina, for example, seeks to improve pre-natal care for Spanish-speaking women, whereas the Cambridge (MA) City Links Program provides public sector internships for language minority youth.

Open to All? Different Cultures, Same Communities: A Look at Immigrants and Housing in Chicago's Northern Suburbs,
Nathalie P. Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement, University of Illinois at Chicago, January, 2011, 85 pp.
Produced for the Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs with financial support provided by the Immigrant Integration Initiative of the Chicago Community Trust, this report discusses the impact and policy implications of the growing immigrant population in 16 northern Chicago suburbs, where more than a quarter of the population is foreign-born. Although race and disability discrimination still underlies the majority of fair housing complaints nationally, 15% of complaints in 2009 were based on national origin. Examining housing stock growth in the region during the period from 2000 to 2008, the researchers find a general trend of diminished affordability, with disproportionate impact on the immigrant population. The report includes a section on promising practices employed by municipalities to engage and serve immigrant communities.

Municipal Innovations in Immigrant Integration: 20 Cities, 20 Good Practices,
Municipal Action for Immigrant Integration, National League of Cities, 2010, 44 pp.
This set of practices, drawn from U.S. cities of varying size and location, focuses on four areas: public safety, immigrant outreach, civic engagement, and city services. Among cities deemed to have good immigrant integration practices are: Columbus, New York, Philadelphia, Princeton, and Richmond. The report includes demographic profiles of each city, along with short descriptions of government structures. In some cases, e.g. San Francisco, the "practice" in question is actually a combination of practices designed to promote integration.

Civic Engagement and Recent Immigrant Communities: A Planning Guide for Local Officials and Other Community Leaders,
National League of Cities, Center for Research and Innovation, 2010, 30 pp.
This publication provides guidance to local officials interested in integrating newcomers into the civic life of the city. It includes step-by-step instructions for conducting meetings with small groups of local leaders who are representative of the many cultural and ethnic groups in the community. The Guide suggests six important goals that might be accomplished through an effort to promote immigrant civic engagement.

Understanding OPENCities,
British Council, 2010, 70 pp
Underlying the OPENCities project of the British Council are the following assumptions: that openness is "a condition for strong cities in the modern age;" that an openness agenda can be actively promoted by city leaders; that attracting and integrating international migrants are important prerequisites for the open city; and that openness can be measured and compared among cities. The report defines openness as "the capacity of a city to attract international populations and to enable them to contribute to the future success of the city" and identifies more than 50 key indicators of openness. The report also discusses practical steps that can be taken to advance openness and features case studies from Amsterdam, Auckland, Dublin, Madrid, and Toronto, highlighting how each city has embraced openness in its effort to gain competitive advantage in the global economy. This publication -- also available in Spanish, German, and Russian -- is the first of 4 to be released in 2010 addressing a key issue on the OPENCities agenda.

State of Metropolitan America: On the Front Lines of Demographic Transformation,
The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program, 2010, 168 pp
Prepared with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, this report reviews and analyzes the major demographic trends impacting the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. Three of nine essays in this report -- all authored by Brookings staff members -- deal with immigration-related topics: Population and Migration, Race and Ethnicity, and Immigration. A concluding essay addresses the policy implications of the five "new realities" revealed in the research: the growth and outward expansion of the population, population diversification, aging, uneven higher educational attainment, and income polarization. A companion resource is an interactive State of Metropolitan America Indicator Map.

Creating Better Cities for Migrants: Urban Policies and Practices to Build More Inclusive Cities,
UNESCO and UN-Habitat, January, 2010, 20 pp.
Anticipating new challenges for cities stemming from climate change, economic dislocations, and internal and external migration, UNESCO and UN-Habitat developed this "tool kit" of effective municipal practices for managing diversity for the common good. With 60% of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2030, the sponsoring international organizations see fundamental changes in the "scale and scope of urban governance," The authors consider local political leaders to be "key actors" in promoting "the social and spatial inclusion of migrants," who will constitute a growing share of urban populations in the 21^st century.

Immigrant Integration at the Local Level: Comparison between Stuttgart and Selected U.S. Cities,
Transatlantic Academy, 2009, 32 pp.
This study looks at municipal immigrant integration strategies in a transatlantic perspective, comparing the well-resourced, city-wide effort in Stuttgart, the sixth largest city in Germany and a designated integration model for other German cities, with a cross-section of U.S. models, including the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs in New York City, the work of private sector organizations, such as the Arabic Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) in the Detroit area and the International Institute of St. Louis (MO), and policy-oriented research initiatives undertaken by the Urban Institute and the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society at SUNY, Albany.

Parks for All New Yorkers: Immigrants, Culture, and NYC Parks,
New Yorkers for Parks, October, 2009, 14 pp
Dedicated to ensuring that "all New Yorkers enjoy a world class parks system," New Yorkers for Parks used various research techniques to prepare this report, including a multilingual survey of park users, interviews with members of the New York Immigration Coalition's Parks Collaborative, and a literature review. The report identified nine ways that the City can improve the connections between new immigrants and parks, including providing resources to enhance translation services, implementing a transparent process to issue permits for fields and events, and increasing culturally diverse food vendors in parks.

Mayoral Immigrant and Latino Affairs Offices: A City Practice Brief,
National League of Cities, Spring, 2009, 4 pp.
This brief describes nine municipal offices in seven states and the District of columbia established to promote immigrant integration.

Meeting the Challenge of Linguistic Diversity, New Jersey Municipalities, March, 2009, 3 pp.
This article discusses the growing number of limited English proficient residents in towns across New Jersey and the steps that local governments can take to make their operations and services more accessible to this segment of the population.
http://www.usdiversitydynamics.com/nj/sitebuildercontent/
sitebuilderfiles/leagueofmunicipalitiesarticle.pdf

A Local Official's Guide to Immigrant Civic Engagement, Institute for Local Government, 2008, 28 pp.

Produced by the research arm of the California League of Cities and the California State Association of Counties, this guide is one in a series of studies by the Institute's "collaborative governance initiative." The guide features case examples of communities in California and elsewhere that have been particularly effective in engaging immigrants in community decision-making and gives "10 keys" to encourage immigrant participation in civic life.

http://www.cacities.org/resource_files/27213.Guide%20to%20Immigrant%20Civic%20Engagement.pdf

An International Destination Point: Executive Summary Report by the International Philadelphia Work Group, City of Philadelphia, November, 2008, 15 pp.
Produced in response to an executive order by Mayor Michael A. Nutter, this report asserts that policies to promote immigrant integration are essential to achieve Philadelphia's goal of becoming an international economic hub and destination. Immigration, the authors conclude, is crucial to reversing Philadelphia's cyle of population decline and stimulating economic development. The report highlights innovative integration practices within the four priority areas of Philadelphia's strategic plan: jobs and economic development, public safety, healthy and sustainable communities, and education.
http://www.phila.gov/globalphiladelphia/PDFs/WorkGroupExecutiveSummary.pdf

Immigration Reform: An Intergovernmental Imperative, International City Managers Association, October, 2008, 41 pp.
This "white paper," based on more than 500 responses by local government officials to a survey on immigration conducted in the summer of 2008, urges "a clearly articulated division of responsibilities" between the federal government and local governments on immigration matters and the enactment of "sensible" federal immigration reforms, recognizing the special burdens and responsibilities borne by local government in helping to assimilate immigrants into local communities. The paper defines four principles to guide immigration reform and makes 16 specific recommendations consistent with these principles. The paper features an array of case examples of local immigrant initiatives around the country.
http://www.icma.org/upload/library/2008-12/%7B13EB22BD-6A70-4638-944D-9C73020577B5%7D.pdf

Global Migration and Local Integration: Government Efforts to Integrate Immigrants in Houston, Seattle, and Raleigh, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, May, 2008, 60 pp.

Based on field research conducted by a team of 7 graduate students, with guidance from the staff of the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., this report explores how local governments in three "gateway" cities are responding to growing immigrant populations. The report explores the nature and effectiveness of "horizontal" structures to facilitate immigrant integration and also devotes considerable attention to school policies and programs. The authors also suggest some best practices, largely in the area of human resources, to create more responsive governmental institutions.

http://wws.princeton.edu/research/pwreports_f07/WWS591d.pdf

Los Angeles on the Leading Edge: Immigrant Integration Indicators and their Policy Implications, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute, April, 2008, 68 pp.

Arguing the Los Angeles is on the "leading edge" of demographic change due to immigration, with an expanding second generation and a declining first, and with over 40% of all students in the L.A. public schools classified as English language learners (a number three times higher than the school system with the next highest number), this report suggest that Los Angeles could become an important laboratory for systematically addressing issues of immigrant integration. The report contains demographic data specific to the city and numerous recommendations for policy reform, especially in the areas of workforce issues, English language acquisition, PreK-12 education, and health and safety net concerns.

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/NCIIP_Los_Angeles_on_the_Leading_Edge.pdf

Cities and Immigration: Local Policies for Immigrant-Friendly Cities, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, April, 2008, 60 pp.

Favoring "universal policies" over "particularistic or categorical policies," this report provides a menu of policy options for cities intent on responding to the needs of their growing immigrant populations. Options are grouped into four main categories: immigration law enforcement (e.g. policies prohibiting the collection of data on immigration status), employment and self-employment (e.g. living wage ordinances, local hiring mandates for developers), health care (e.g. targeted outreach to boost enrollment in public funded health insurance programs), and other basic services (e.g. language access policies, municipal ID cards). The report also summarizes reasons why immigrant-friendly policies are vital to the well-being of cities.

http://www.cows.org/pdf/rp-cities_and_immigration.pdf.pdf

Riverside, NJ: An immigration law that didn't survive, YouTube video posted by Matt.org, November 7, 2007, 7 minutes.
Residents of Riverside NJ reflect on the impact of a rescinded law designed to penalize employers of undocumented immigrants. David Verduin, President of the Coalition of Landlords and Business Owners, is the major interviewee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoMpq729l5Y

Report of the Mayor's Task Force on Immigration, City of Vancouver, Canada, November 2, 2007, 20 pp.
With 46% of its residents foreign-born, Vancouver has the second highest concentration of immigrants in Canada. The City has undertaken a number of initiatives to ensure the accessibility of city services and to create an inclusive community. This report is the latest in a series of policy recommendations to the City Council. One of the recommendations calls for the adoption of a "vision and value statement concerning immigrants and refugees."
http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20071113/documents/rr1.pdf

Pro-Immigrant Measures Available to State or Local Governments: A Quick Menu of Affirmative Ideas, National Immigration Law Center, September, 2007, 6 pp.
This is a list of 71 policy recommendations designed to "more effective incorporate immigrants into their communities." Many of them have been successfully implemented in communities around the country.
http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/misc/affirmstatelocalmenu_2005-09-13.pdf

"Division and Dislocation: Regulating Immigration through Local Housing Ordinances, " American Immigration Law Foundation, Summer, 2007, 16pp.
This report examines the demographic characteristics of localities that have passed ordinances penalizing landlords who rent to undocumented immigrants, as well as the legal objections to, and economic fallout from, such ordinances.
http://www.ailf.org/ipc/special_report/SpecialReport0907.pdf

"Promising Practices in Communitywide Planning," in Investing in Our Communities: Strategies for Immigrant Integration, Grantmakers Concerned With Immigrants and Refugees, 2006
GCIR profiles six local initiatives that demonstrate strategic vision and considerable promise to promote the full integration of newcomers into our society.
http://www.gcir.org/resources/gcir_publications/toolkit/33-58_community.pdf

"The Role of Municipal Leaders in Helping Immigrants Become an Integral Part of Colorado's Communities," The Colorado Trust and the Colorado Municipal League, June, 2006, 12 pp.
This report offers recommendations to municipal officials to achieve more inclusive communities, along with best practices from nine Colorado cities.
http://www.coloradotrust.org/repository/initiatives/pdfs/SIRFI/SIRFI-CML_CVR-GUTS_vF.r2.pdf

Immigrant Engagement in Public Open Spaces: Strategies for the New Boston,
Barr Foundation, 2005, 23 pp.
This report is a passionate brief for accomodating immigrant cultures in the design, management, and utilization of public open space. Based on a literature review, interviews with park professionals and environmental activists, and focus groups with newcomers in Boston, the report is replete with examples of innovative park practices, both in Massachusetts and around the country.
http://www.arborcp.com/articles/Immigrant_Engagement_in_Public_Open_Space_final.pdf

"Immigrants and Local Governance: The View from City Hall," Public Policy Institute of California, Issue #101, June, 2005, 115 pp.
Based on mail surveys and interviews with local officials in 304 immigrant destination communities in California, this report summarizes local government practice in responding to the needs of immigrants, with special attention to housing policy and police-community relations. The report also contains a set of recommendations
http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_605SRR.pdf

Final Report of the Immigrant Community Assessment, Prepared under contract #14830 for Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, August 15, 2003, 253 pp.
This report is one of the most thorough and painstaking studies of a local immigrant population in the United States. Growing out of a "historic and constructive collaboration" between three local universities, local social service providers, immigrant and refugee community representatives, and local government, the report was researched and written by a team of four sociologists, two psychologists, one education researcher, one health researcher, and one lawyer-social worker. It contains the results of 16 immigrant focus groups, surveys and interviews with 64 social service agencies and community groups, a study of best practices in immigrant integration in the cities of Atlanta, Charlotte, and Memphis. and numerous recommendations to "enhance and encourage a mutually beneficial incorporation of immigrants and refugees into Nashville."
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/VIPPS/immigrant-community-assessment-nashville.pdf