Reimagining the Midwest: Immigration Initiatives and the Capacity of Local Leadership

In the face of federal inaction on immigration policy, city, state and regional leaders in the Midwest are implementing measures to encourage economic growth and build stronger communities by integrating immigrants.

This report catalogs many of these initiatives so as to guide groups outside the region seeking models for effective immigrant policies and to encourage the exchange of best practices within the region. The report identifies state, city, metropolitan and private sector initiatives plus the work of regional and national immigrant integration networks. These include state and city offices for New Americans, such as the (Chicago) Mayor's Office of New Americans which focuses on law enforcement, education and business growth as they relate to immigrants. Civic initiatives such as Global Cleveland utilize private funding to tailor their services to both welcoming and immigrant communities including "how to" tutorials for immigrant workers and employers seeking to hire immigrant workers. Other initiatives, such as the St. Louis Mosaic Project, are broad collaborations that leverage the capacities of organizations in business, government and the community to make better use of resources in order to reach a common goal. Although the authors acknowledge that the Midwest is by no means a perfect model, its many creative approaches stand as examples of what can be done on the local level in the absence of federal action. 

Download it here or view it online.

Get more information at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.