抵制改革：以数据、证据和创新改善美国移民政策

ResistanttoReform?ImprovingU.S.ImmigrationPolicyThroughData,Evidence,andInnovation

by

AdamLichtenheld,

NatalieChaudhuri

,

and

SigridLupieri

PublishedonAugust28,2024

ResistanttoReform?ImprovingU.S.ImmigrationPolicyThroughData,Evidence,andInnovation-CarnegieEndowmentforInternationalPeace|CarnegieEndowmentforInternationalPeace

Introduction

Aroundtheworld,migrationisontherise.Arecord

117millionpeople

havebeenforciblydisplacedglobally.1

Advancedindustrializedcountrieshaveexperienceda

“migrationboom”

inrecentdecades,andtherearenowmorethan

48.7millionforeign-bornpeople

livingintheUnitedStates.Asgovernments

grapple

withthepolitical,economic,andsocialchallengesofeffectivelymanagingmigration—andits

growing

electoral

salience

aroundtheworld—debatesover

whatresponsesareneeded

havedominatedpolicydiscussions.

U.S.immigrationpolicyisoftendescribedaschaoticand

resistanttoreform

.Indeed,thediscoursesurroundingimmigrationpolicyhasbeencharacterizedbyescalatingpoliticalpolarizationandincreasinglystringentapproachestotheinfluxofmigrantsacrosstheU.S.southernborder.

Scapegoatingandvilifyingmigrants

hasbecomeaninfluentialpoliticalstrategy,fosteringanatmosphereofapprehensionandhostility.Forthefirsttimeintwodecades,amajorityofAmericanswanttoseeimmigrationtotheUnitedStatesdecreased,accordingtorecent

Gallup

polling.2

Hiddenbehindthisdivisiverhetoric—andthesensationalistpoliticalandmedianarrativesthatshapeit—liesadynamicpolicyarenafilledwithnewandinnovativesolutions.Theseeffortsaimtosupportthesuccessofimmigrantsintheirhostcommunitieswhilehelpingthosecommunitiesaddresslaboranddemographicchallenges.ThispaperdescribesseveraloftheseinitiativesandsuggestshowtheycanbesubjectedtorigoroustestingtomakemeaningfulimprovementstoU.S.immigrationpolicy.Despitesubstantialevidencepointingtothepositiveeconomicandsocial

impacts

ofmigrationforsendingcountries,hostcommunities,andmigrantsthemselves,thereisasignificantevidencegaponwhichpoliciesandprogramsare

mosteffective

inoptimizingthebenefitsandmitigatingthecostsofmigration.Withtheeconomiccontributionsofmigrantsprojectedtoreach

$20trillionby2050

,itisasimportantasevertoinvestinrigoroustestingandscalingofthemostpromisingpolicies,programs,andinnovationsinwaysthathavehelpedtransformotherpolicydomains,fromeconomicdevelopmenttopublichealth.Byshowingthepublicthatimmigrationcanwork,evidence-basedsolutionscanhelpdiffusethetoxicpoliticssurroundingtheissueandassureAmericansthatthesepolicyinvestmentsarewellspentforthepublicgood.

Thispaperbeginsbyoutliningarangeofinnovationsthatrelyondataandalgorithmictoolstoadvancerefugeeresettlementandimmigrantplacement.Second,itdiscussesasetofpoliciesandlabormarketprogramsdesignedtodeterirregularmigrationandmaximizeemploymentofrefugeesandotherimmigrantssotheycancontributetoeconomicgrowth.Third,despitedimprospectsforcomprehensiveimmigrationreformbyCongress,thispaperdescribesseverallocalandstateinitiativesthatawaitrigoroustestingand,ifeffective,canbescaledtoprovidebottom-up,ratherthantop-down,solutionstoimmigration-relatedchallenges.Finally,ithighlightspolicyareasthatremaininsufficientlyaddressedanddemandgreaterevidenceandexploration.Thepaperconcludesbyoutlininganagendaforfurthertestingandinnovation.

AlgorithmicToolstoImproveLocationMatching

Drivingpolicyinnovationinimmigrationrequirespilotingandevaluatingtoolsandtechnologiesthatcanimproveimmigrationpoliciesandprocesseswhileequippingpolicymakerswiththedataandinsightstheyneedtomakeproductivedecisions.Onepromisinginnovationistheuseofalgorithmictoolstomaketheplacementandintegrationofnewcomersmoreefficient,data-driven,andeffective.

GeoMatch

,createdbyStanfordUniversity’s

ImmigrationPolicyLab

(IPL),recommendsareasforrefugeestoresettlebasedonindividuals’attributeslikeeducation,gender,andcountryoforigin.Usinghistoricaldataonpastrefugeesandtheirintegrationoutcomes,thealgorithmidentifiessynergiesbetweenpersonalcharacteristicsandlocations,developsmodelstopredicthownewcomerswillfare,andidentifiesthebestmatchforeachincomingrefugee.Resettlementtoolscanbeespeciallyimpactfulbecausehostcountriesoftenmaketheirdecisionsbasedonarrivaltimeandtheavailabilityoflocalcommunitysupport,ratherthanonfeaturesthatwouldyieldthe

bestoutcomes

forrefugees.Accordingtotestsonpastdata,GeoMatchcouldincreaserefugees’employmentratesby35percentormore.

Otherpromisingprogramsleverageartificialintelligence(AI)andrelatedtechnologiestoincreasebenefitsformigrantswithlittlecosttopolicymakers.TheInternationalRescueCommitteehaslauncheda

VirtualResettlementLine

toprovideaneasilyaccessibleandrapidlyscalableone-stopresourceforAfghansandUkrainiansarrivingintheUnitedStatesthroughhumanitarianparoleprograms.Thiscanhelpensurethatincomingrefugeesandasylum-seekersareprovidedwithstreamlinedandcustomizedaccesstotheservicestheyneedtorebuildtheirlivesintheUnitedStates.Similarly,

JusticiaLab

hasbuiltdigitalandAItoolstoexpandimmigrants’accesstolegalservices.And

UpwardlyGlobal

isexploringtheuseofAItohelprefugeesandimmigrantsovercomebarrierstoemploymentandeffectivelymatchtheirskillsandexperiencewithsuitablejobs.Understandingtheimmediateoutcomesoftheseinnovationsonserviceaccess,jobmatching,andadjudicationresults,andtheirdownstreameffectsonimmigrantintegration,canguidepolicymakersandadvocatesonhowtoacceleratenewcomers’pathtosuccess.

Meanwhile,inCanada,IPLresearchershave

examined

thecountry’sExpressEntrysystemtoexplorehowalgorithmicmatchingcouldinformthedecisionmakingofeconomicimmigrantsonwhereinadestinationcountrytheyshouldsettletomaximizetheirearnings.ThiscouldimprovedistributionofimmigrantsinCanada.ImmigrantstendtoclusterincitieslikeToronto,whichtheyaremorefamiliarwith,insteadofoptingtogotootherplaces,likeruralareas,wheretheirskillsareincreasinglyneededandwheretheycoulddiscoveradditionalopportunitiesthatcouldenablethemtothrive.Ifimmigrantschosetomovetotheseareas,boththeyandtheruralcommunities

couldbenefit

.Thisresearchsuggeststhatlocation-basedmatchingcouldtransformimmigrationintheUnitedStates,bothbysupplyingimmigrantswithpersonalizedinformationonwhatlocationsofferthemthebestopportunitiesandbyefficientlydistributingasylum-seekersacrossthecountry,whichcoulddecongestcitiesthathavestruggledtoprovideadequatehousingandservicestonewarrivals.

SponsorshipandLaborMarketPrograms

Inadditiontodestinationchoices,researchhasshownthatdelaysinasylumwaittimesandemploymentbanscansignificantlyimpacttheintegrationofrefugeesandotherimmigrants.InSwitzerland,anadditionalyearofwaitingforanasylumdecisiondecreasedanasylum-seeker’semploymentprobabilityby

upto23percent

,regardlessofage,gender,andcountryoforigin.ThesefindingsarerelevanttotheUnitedStates,whereasylum-seekerstypicallywaitsixmonthsbeforetheycanobtainaworkpermit.Thishasstrainedpublicservicesincitiesexperiencinglargemigrantinfluxes,suchasNewYork,where

leaders

havecalledforthestatetoissueitsown

workpermits

toexpeditetheprocess.Given

ongoinglabor

shortages

throughouttheUnitedStatesandclearevidenceonhowimmediateemploymentreducespressureonsocialserviceswhile

facilitating

effectiveintegration,waittimesandemploymentforrecentarrivalsarekeyareasforreform.

Oneofthemostsignificantimmigrationreformsinrecentyearshasbeentheexpansionofsponsorshipprograms,inwhichprivatecitizenstakeresponsibilityforresettlingandsupportingnewcomers.Sponsorshippathwayssuchasthe

UnitingforUkraine

programandhumanitarianparolefor

Cubans,Haitians,Nicaraguans,andVenezuelans

(CHNV)haveenabledtheUnitedStatestorapidlywelcomemorethan330,000vulnerablemigrants(

170,000

and

160,000

respectively).

TheU.S.StateDepartment,incoordinationwiththeDepartmentofHealthandHumanServices,hasalsolaunchedthe

WelcomeCorps

,aprivaterefugeesponsorshipprogram.Programslike

thisone

,modeledonsimilarinitiativesinCanada,theUnitedKingdom,andSpain,canservetwopurposes:expandingtheabilityofhostcountriestoadmitandresettlemorerefugeesandothervulnerablemigrants,andincreasinghostcommunitysupportanddemandforimmigration.

Yettheimpactofthereformsbothontheseoutcomesandonthewell-beingandintegrationofthosewhoarrivethroughthemneedstobeassessed.While

studies

ofCanada’sprivatesponsorshipmodelsuggestthatsponsoredrefugeesintegrate

moresuccessfully

thangovernment-assistedrefugees,theresearchdoesnotaccountfordifferentrefugeeselectionprocessesforeachintakepathwaythatmaybiasthesefindings.OtherresearchonprivatesponsorshipforUkrainianrefugeesinGermanyhas

indicated

somepositiveintegrationoutcomesforthiskindofprogram,withprivatelysponsoredrefugeesexperiencinggreatergainsinintegrationthanotherrefugees.

Theeffectivenessofthesemodelsthereforewarrantsfurtherstudy.Ononehand,sponsorshipcouldproducebetterintegrationoutcomesbygivingrefugeesthefullattentionofnativecitizenswhocanleveragetheirnetworkstoprovidejobsandotherkindsofsupport.Ontheotherhand,theseprogramscouldhinderintegrationbymakingrefugeesreliantonimproperlyvetted,inexperiencedvolunteerswithouttheadequateresourcestoassistthem.Somegroupsmaybenefitfromthesemodelsmorethanothers,butmoreresearchneedstobedone.Research

suggests

thatintegrationisatwo-wayprocess,includingbothimmigrantsandhostcommunities;consequently,testingshouldstudytheeffectsoftheseprogramsonsponsorsandhostcommunitiesmorebroadly.Thisevidencecanguideinvestmentsandstrategiestoincreasethecapacityofcommunitiestowelcomerefugeesandotherimmigrantswhilebuildinggrassrootsdemandforthesekindsofprograms.

LaborPathways

Thedebateoverimmigrationpolicyoftenfocusesonenforcementanddeterrencemeasures.Yetthereisgrowingrecognitionoftheimportanceofprovidinglegalavenuestomanagemigrationflows,discourageirregularmigration,andaddresslabormarketneeds,particularlyas

workershortages

and

populationdecline

inadvancedindustrializedcountriesincreaselabormarket

demand

forimmigrants.Forexample,recentemploymentandskills-basedmobilityprojectspromotedbytheEuropeanUnionandotheradvancedeconomieshaveconnectedworkersfromlow-andmiddle-incomecountrieswithhard-to-filljobsabroad.InNorthandSouthAmerica,governmentshave

expanded

circularmobilitypathways,includingseasonalandtemporaryworkerprograms.

In2023,theU.S.StateDepartmentcreatedSafeMobilityOffices:regionalprocessingcentersthroughoutLatinAmerica(

Colombia,Guatemala,CostaRica,andEcuador

)that

screenpotentialimmigrants,refugees,ortemporaryworkers

.BesidesidentifyingimmigrantsforexpeditedresettlementtotheUnitedStates,Canada,andSpain,thecentersarealsointendedtodeterirregularmigration.TheU.S.AgencyforInternationalDevelopmentandotherdevelopmentagencieshavealsoplayedaroleinprovidingaccesstolaborpathwaysviatraining,

outreach

,and

information

.ThishashelpedbolstercircularmigrationprogramswithinLatinAmericaandinCanada,Spain,andtheUnitedStates.Beyondtheseprograms,theUnitedStateshasissuedanadditional

65,000H-2Btemporaryworkvisas

inindustriesthatrelyonseasonalworkers,suchaslandscapingandtourism.Ingeneral,theseinitiativesreflectagrowingfocusbytheU.S.governmentandotheractorsonexpandinglaborpathways.Yetsomeoftheseprogramshave

fallenshort

ofexpectations,facilitatingthemovementofonlysmallnumbersofworkers,inpartbecauseoflimitedfundingandlackofprivate-sectorengagement.Moreevidenceisneeded,then,onhowtoremovethesebarriersandthesubsequentimpactoftheseprogramsonbothshort-termandlonger-termmigrationpatterns.

Additionalpromisinginnovationsareonthetable.The“

bridgevisa”

wouldallowAmericancompaniestosponsorforeignworkersandprovideamorepermanentpathtoresidencyintheUnitedStatesaftersixyears.Unlikeothervisas,thebridgevisawouldbeavailabletoworkersofdifferentskilllevelsandcouldbeusedforbothcircularmigrationandpermanentresidency.

Othervisas

,specificallyforinternationalstudents,couldfacilitatepermanentresidencyaftergraduation,benefitingstudentswhowanttoworkintheUnitedStatesandindustrieshopingtohirethem.Furthermore,a“startupvisa”wouldprovideanavenueforforeignentrepreneurs—whoareoverrepresentedamongsuccessfulstartupfounders—toestablishbusinessesintheUnitedStates,

potentiallycreating

around1.6millionjobswithintenyears.

Anotherinnovativeexperimentthatcouldbothexpandlaborpathwaysandfosterintegrationistyingworkpermitstospecificlocations.Thoughimmigrationpolicyisanationalissue,itscostsandbenefitsarenotequallydistributednationwide,withmajormetropolitanareasandcoastalstateshaving

significantlylarger

immigrantpopulations.Toensuremoreequitabledistribution,Congresscouldconsider“place-based”visas,suchasthe

State-SponsoredVisaPilotProgram

proposedbyRepresentativeJohnCurtis(R-UT)andthe

HeartlandVisa

proposalbytheEconomicInnovationGroup.Theseprogramswouldgivestatesandcitiestheauthorityandopportunitytodesigntheirownvisaprogramsandattractimmigrantsaccordingtotheneedsoflocalindustries,employers,andworkers.Iftheygetsufficientbuy-infromregulators,theprivatesector,andcommunitiesinneedoflabor,theseproposalsshouldbetestedandevaluatedtohelpidentifybestpracticesandinformthedevelopmentofmoreeffectiveandinclusivepolicies.Coupledwithsomeofthetechnologicaltoolshighlightedabove,suchplace-basedinitiativescouldensurethebestmatchesbetweennewcomersandhostcommunities.

Innovationsthatimprovetherightsofworkersandpathwaysforlegalworkauthorizationwillalsobeusefulfortestingtheeffectivenessoflabormigrationprograms.Scholarshavearguedthat,inordertoachieveimmigrationreform,policymakersmuststrengthenthe

enforcementoflaborstandards

sothatmigrantworkersarenotunderpaidorexploited.Migrantworkersareespeciallyvulnerableto

violationsoflaborstandards

,suchasextendedhourswithoutpay,safetyviolations,and

otherdangersattheworkplace

.Consequently,aslegalpathwaysopen,itwillbecrucialtoconductcomprehensiveanalysesonwhethertheseenforcementmechanismsworkandwhattheirconsequencesareforimmigrantsandworkplaceintegration.Aswithplace-basedinitiatives,theseprogramshave

fallenshort

ofexpectations.Moreresearchisneededontheeconomicandsocialimpactsofexpandinglegalpathwaysformigrationtohelppolicymakersdesignmoreeffectiveimmigrationpoliciesthatreceivebroadsupportfromtheprivatesector,andtodemonstratethereturnstotheprivatesectorforinvestinginthesepathwayprograms.

Insum,whiletherehasbeensomequalitativeresearchonlaborprograms,moresystematicandrigorousresearchonhowtheseprogramsworkforthepartiesinvolvedandhowmigrantswhocomethroughthesechannelsbenefitandintegratecomparedtoothermigrationchannelswillbecrucialforbuildingtheevidencebasearoundlabormigrationprograms.

LocalandStateInitiatives

GiventhedifficultyinchangingfederalrulesandthelowlikelihoodofimmigrationreforminCongress,localitiesmustserveaslaboratoriesforgeneratingevidenceandtestingnewapproaches.Citiesarethemostcommonsitesforinnovations;consequently,municipalgovernmentsandlocalcommunitiescanmakemeaningfulreformsin1)facilitatingtheintegrationofpeoplealreadyintheUnitedStates,2)addressingpublicconcernsandstereotypesofimmigrantstomakecommunitiesmorewelcoming,and3)demonstratingthatextendingbenefitstoimmigrantpopulationshelpsbothmigrantsandhostcommunities.AprimeexampleisPhiladelphia,adiversecitywithagrowingimmigrantpopulationthathasrecentlyintroducedpolicieslike

limitingfederalimmigrationdetainers

andrequiringlanguageaccessservicesformunicipalagencies(apolicythatcitieslike

NewYorkCity

and

Washington,DC

,

havehadforyears).Thecitygovernmenthasalso

crackeddown

onimmigrationservicesfraud,whichcanpermanentlydamagenewcomers’applicationsforasylumorresidency.Theintendedandunintendedconsequencesofthesepolicies,andhowtheymayhelpfacilitateimmigrantintegration,needtobeassessed,shared,andpromotedthroughcoalitionssuchasthe

MayorsMigrationCouncil

toinformothermunicipalleaderslookingtoenacteffectivepoliciesfornewcomers.

Statesalsoserveascriticallaboratoriesforimmigrationreform.Oneexampleistheextensionofdriver’slicensestoundocumentedimmigrants.AnIPL-led

study

ofCalifornia’sAssemblyBill60,whichexpandedaccesstodriver’slicensesfortheundocumented,showedthatitincreasedemployedundocumentedworkers’incomeandhoursworked.Therewerealsobenefitsforthebroaderpopulation:theexpansionoflicenses

reduced

hitandrunaccidentsby10percentinthefirstyearanddidnotincreasetrafficdeaths,ultimatelysavingCaliforniadriversabout$3.5millioninoutofpocketexpenses.ThisresearchwascitedincampaignstoexpandaccesstolicensesinNewYork(

GreenLightNYC

)andNewJersey(

Let’sDriveNJ

).Thesepoliciesserveasanexampleofevidence-basedreformsthatcanbothhelpfacilitateintegrationandyieldeconomicandsocialbenefitsforhostcommunities.

Insummary,newinnovationsandreformshavethepotentialtoaffectdifferentpartsoftheimmigrationpolicycycle.Manyofthemneedtoberigorouslyevaluatedandscaled,andforsomeproposals,localitiescanserveaslaboratoriesforgreatertesting.Otherpolicies,suchastheexpansionoflaborpathwaysandsponsorship,havebeenrolledoutwithtoomuchfanfareandpromisebutrequireadditionaltesting.Withmoreevidence,theseinnovationscanhelpusidentifywhatimprovesoutcomesformigrantsandnon-migrantsalike—andwhatdoesnot.

NewChallenges

Inadditiontogeneratingevidenceontheimpactofrecentreforms,innovations,andproposedpolicychanges,improvingimmigrationpolicyrequiresfillingknowledgegapsinasylumprocessingandadjudication,integration,andhousing.Inthissection,weoutlinethesegapsandidentifypotentialsolutionsthathaveyettobefullyimplemented.

AsylumProcessing

Whilelegalrepresentationiswidelyrecognizedasacrucialfactorindeterminingtheoutcomeofasylumcases,thereislimitedempiricalevidenceonthecomparativeeffectivenessofdifferenttypesoflegalservices.Forsomeasylumcases,applicantshavebeenableto

enlist

non-lawyerswhoarespecificallytrainedtoassistwithfilingpaperworkandproviderepresentationatcourthearings.Howeffectivearealternativelegalserviceprovidersinimmigrationadjudication,comparedtotraditionallawyers?Thisisimportanttounderstandasmorestatesandcitiesarecreating

recruitment,training,anduptakeprograms

fornon-lawyeraccreditedrepresentatives,takingadvantageoftheJusticeDepartment’s

Recognitionand

Accreditation

Program

.Rigorousstudiesofshort-termoutcomes(adjudicationresults)andlong-termoutcomes(integration)ofthoserepresentedbylawyersversusnon-lawyerrepresentativescouldhelpinformpoliciesaimedatexpandingaccesstolegalrepresentationforasylumseekersandimprovingtheefficiencyandfairnessoftheasylumadjudicationprocess.

Anotherrelatedareainneedoffurtherinvestigationisthebacklogofasylumapplicationsandpotentialprocessesforaddressingit.Currently,U.S.immigrationcourtsface

nearly2millionpendingcases

,witharound650judgessometimesrequiringyearstorenderadecision.Despiteeffortstoincreasethenumberofasylumofficersandimmigrationjudges,backlogscontinuetoplaguetheasylumsystem,resultinginlengthydelaysanduncertaintyforasylumseekers.Researchoninnovativeapproachestostreamliningadjudicationprocessesorimplementingalternativedisputeresolutionmechanismscouldhelpinformmoreefficientandtimelyasylumprocessingprocedures.Suchmeasures,however,wouldrequireactionbyCongress,whichhasinrecentyearsfailedtoaddressanysignificantimmigrationpolicyissues.

Proposalsthatfocusonimprovingtheefficiencyandperformanceofimmigrationcourtsincludeincreasingaccesstolegalrepresentationtoimprovedueprocess,fairoutcomes,andcourtroomefficiency.Additionally,temporarilyimplementinga“lastin,firstdecided”approachforschedulingnewcases,whichtheMigrationPolicyInstitutehasdeterminedtobe

effectiveinthepast

,“couldbringprocessingtimesonnewcasesdowntomonths,ratherthanyears.”However,“becausethisdisadvantagescasesthathavealreadybeenwaitingforalongtime,itshouldbetreatedasatemporary,emergencymeasurealongsidepolicyandproceduralreformsthatprotectfairnessandpromoteefficiencymorebroadly.”Researchontheeffectivenessofsuchemergencymeasures—includingonhowandwhenresourcescanbeusedforoldercases—isessentialforfiguringouthowtobestshrinkthegrowthandsizeofthebacklog.

Integration

Differentpoliciesaffectintegrationinseveralways,facilitatingorhinderingimmigrants’abilitytobuildsuccessful,fulfillinglivesintheirnewcommunities.Forinstance,policiescanincreaseresentmentorchangeimmigrants’willingnesstoengagewiththehostsociety.Inturn,policiescan

affect

thebehaviorofhostcommunities,inresponseeithertothepolicychangeor,indirectly,toshiftsinbehavioramongimmigrantcommunities.Yetconsiderablegapsinourunderstandingofintegrationpersist,especiallyregardingwhichpoliciesworkandwhy.Design-basedstudiesareneededtoassesstheeffectivenessoflawsandprogramsaimedatpromotingorfacilitating

integration

withinhostcommunities.

Whereopportunitiesforemploymentandimmigrantintegrationexist,anotherchallengeisthedivisionbetweenundocumentedimmigrantsandnewcomerswhomayfacedifferentbarrierstointegration.Whilenewcomersmayhaveaccesstosupportservicesandresources,undocumentedimmigrantsoftenliveintheshadows,facinglimitedopportunitiesforintegrationandsocialinclusion.Researchontheexperiencesandneedsofundocumentedimmigrantscouldhelpinformpoliciesaimedatpromotinginclusiveintegrationstrategiesthataddresstheneedsofallimmigrantpopulations.

Thoughthe

“welfaremagnet”hypothesis

suggeststhatimmigrantstendtomovetoareaswithgenerouswelfarebenefits—promptingconcernsthatexpandingsuchbenefitsmightincreaseirregularmigration—thereislittleevidencetosupportthisassumption.Rather,researchfromIPLhasfoundthatextendingservicestoundocumentedimmigrants,

includingdriver’slice

nses

(asdescribedearlier)and

deportationprotectionsunderDeferredActionforChildhoodArrivals

,benefitsnotonlyimmigrants,butalsothecommunitiesinwhichtheylive,bydrawingimmigrantsoutoftheshadowsandequippingthemwiththetoolsandresourcestosucceedandcontributetosociety.AfocusonextendingprotectionsandassistancetomigrantswhoarealreadylivingintheUnitedStateshasbeenoneofthepriorityapproachestakenbyU.S.PresidentJoeBiden’sadministration,includingarecent

action

toprotectanestimated500,000undocumentedimmigrantspousesofU.S.citizensfromdeportation.

Lastly,moreresearchisneededtobettergraspwhichpoliciesaffectthebehaviorandattitudesofhostcommunitiestowardimmigrants,eitherdirectlyorindirectly,andwhy.Previousstudieshave

shown

thatresistancetoimmigrationisdrivenmorebyconcernsoveritsculturalimpactsthanitseconomicconsequences.Yetlittleisknownaboutthe

circumstances

inwhichinclusivepoliciestriggerpositiveandwelcomingresponsesamongnativepopulationsand,conversely,whichconditionstriggerabacklash.Thisisparticularlyimportantwhendesigningpoliciesfocusedonbuildingwelcominglocalconstituenciesandpositivehost-immigrantinteractions.

WelcomingAmerica

,anorganizationdedicatedtofosteringinclusivecommunities,offersacertificationprogramthatencouragesmunicipalitiestoadoptpoliciesandpracticesthatmakethemmorewelcomingtoimmigrantsandrefugees.SeveralcitiesandtownsacrosstheUnitedStateshavelaunchedvariousinitiativesunderthisframework,suchascommunityoutreachprograms,languageaccessservices,andworkforceintegrationefforts.Forinstance,initiativesinplaceslikeDayton,OH,andLancaster,PA,haveaimedtointegrateimmigrantsmorefullyintothesocialandeconomicfabricofthecommunity.

Theexpansionoftheseeffortsprovidesauniqueopportunitytobuildtheevidencebasearoundeffectiveintegrationprogramsanddevelopanuancedunderstandingofwhichinitiativeshavesuccessfullypromotedintegrationandinclusionandwhichhaveencounteredresistanceorbacklashfromlocalpopulations.Systematicassessmentsareneededtoevaluatetheimpactoftheseeffortsandtorefinestrategiesforbuildingmorewelcomingcommunities.Comprehensiveevaluationscouldhelpidentifybestpracticesandmitigatepotentialnegativereactions,ensuringthateffortstocreateinclusiveenvironmentsarebotheffectiveandsustainable.

HousingandOtherMutuallyBenefi