Shut me down if there's already a thread on this (apologies for now following the forum too closely these days), but it was interesting to see this on the cnn.com home page today. The name of the program is a little grammatically confusing, but I think I like its spirit.

 

Against the grain, Dayton, Ohio, embraces immigrants

 

At a time when the trend among state legislatures is to create tough immigration laws, one Ohio city is pinning its ambitions on an opposite track.

 

Dayton, with a population of about 140,000, wants to become the friendliest place for immigrants.

Immigrants, officials say, have opened businesses and created jobs in the city's economy, and they hope to reverse the region's economic slowdown by betting on immigrants.

 

The Dayton City Commission this week accepted the so-called "Welcome Dayton" plan, a framework for policies that could be implemented to make the city a more welcoming place.

 

The pro-immigrant sentiment in Dayton stands in contrast to a number of high profile laws at the state level targeting illegal immigrants, but it is not a perfect comparison.

 

The state laws are focused on combating illegal immigration. The city plan has nothing to do with illegal immigration, officials say, but rather with welcoming immigrants and treating all residents with respect.

The rest: http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/08/us/ohio-dayton-pro-immigrant/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Shut me down if there's already a thread on this (apologies for now following the forum too closely these days), but it was interesting to see this on the cnn.com home page today. The name of the program is a little grammatically confusing, but I think I like its spirit.

 

Maybe it's a statement that all are welcome -- even those struggling with the English language. :)

It hasn't been posted here.  It's great forward thinking stuff.

Many of the businesses that have been sticking around are the immigrant-owned ones, as well as Dayton having accepted a bunch of refugees who escaped the LRA over the past three years, so is this more of a campaign to make these people who are already here feel more welcome or to try to bring in even more immigrant-owned businesses and LRA refugees?

This is getting some national attention.

 

MSNBC interview with the mayor.  Here's the transcript

 

....this week, illegal immigrants in alabama are racing to sign documents allowing friends to care for their kids if they're deported. it stems from the nation's toughest immigration law there. while some states push for tougher laws, dayton , ohio is making their city more attractive to immigrants. welcome dayton plan makes it easier for immigrants to get settled there. joining me now, the mayor of dayton . nice to have you on with us. explain the details of this plan and this way that you've come up with to capitalize on what other states are pushing away from.

 

And from the AP:

 

DAYTON, Ohio — On the same afternoon thousands of Hispanics in Alabama took the day off to protest the state's strict new immigration law, Mexican-born Francisco Mejia was ringing up diners' bills and handing containers piled with carnitas to drive-thru customers on the east side of Dayton....

 

... It's the kind of success story that leaders in Dayton think offers hope for an entire city. It has adopted a plan not only to encourage immigrants to come and feel welcome here, but also to use them to help pull out of an economic tailspin.

 

(more at the links, including the usual comments)

 

 

 

 

I should also say that earlier in the year, back in Septmeber, the city officials gave a talk on this at the quarterly LGBT community dinner, so they are pushing this to non-immigrant interest groups in the city.  I, personally, don't see a connection with LGBT issues, and in fact know that in Sacramento the situation for lesbians and gays actually deteriorated due to a homophbic Russian immigrant community (who were evangelical Christians).

 

So I'm a bit leery of this on one hand.  Yet I know in the case of Toledo, it was a Latino politicians who helped spearheaded gay rights in that city.