Many U.S. cities caught in a spiral of economic decline think
they have a rescue plan: an influx of immigrants.
Officials are carrying out policies aimed at attracting foreigners
in hopes that their energy and drive will reverse decades of
population losses and set the stage for a revival.
Such thinking is a breath of fresh air—and the polar opposite—of the restrictionist rage that has led Arizona and other states to adopt draconian tactics to chase away such people. But immigrants aren’t miracle workers who can fix any broken economy. Their absence often signals that cities have taken a wrong turn. But that doesn't mean that rolling out the welcome mat will get a place back on track without fundamental reform.
The notion that immigrants can revive dying cities isn’t new. Cleveland started trying to get its “fair share” of the foreign-born from traditional immigrant magnets such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Houston about a decade ago.
Its efforts petered out, but other struggling cities have recently jumped on the immigrant bandwagon.
In Baltimore, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wants to attract 10,000 new families, including foreigners, within 10 years. To this end, she has barred authorities from asking city residents about their immigration status. The mayor, a Democrat, is also offering nutrition and exercise programs in Spanish, an overture that was anathema to her predecessor.
Read more: http://reason.com/archives/2012/09/22/immigrants-are-not-miracle-workers-who-c
Such thinking is a breath of fresh air—and the polar opposite—of the restrictionist rage that has led Arizona and other states to adopt draconian tactics to chase away such people. But immigrants aren’t miracle workers who can fix any broken economy. Their absence often signals that cities have taken a wrong turn. But that doesn't mean that rolling out the welcome mat will get a place back on track without fundamental reform.
The notion that immigrants can revive dying cities isn’t new. Cleveland started trying to get its “fair share” of the foreign-born from traditional immigrant magnets such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Houston about a decade ago.
Its efforts petered out, but other struggling cities have recently jumped on the immigrant bandwagon.
In Baltimore, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wants to attract 10,000 new families, including foreigners, within 10 years. To this end, she has barred authorities from asking city residents about their immigration status. The mayor, a Democrat, is also offering nutrition and exercise programs in Spanish, an overture that was anathema to her predecessor.
Read more: http://reason.com/archives/2012/09/22/immigrants-are-not-miracle-workers-who-c
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