Welcoming Cities & Counties Reaches 50 Members

The immigrant welcoming movement has hit a major milestone: Welcoming America’s Welcoming Cities and Counties program has reached 50 members with the recent addition of the City of Decatur, Georgia. In under two years, the Welcoming Cities and Counties program has grown from 18 members to 50 members, more than doubling the number of municipalities dedicated to welcoming immigrants. “The pace of enrollment continues to pick up; 50 cities and counties is really just the tip of the iceberg. It won’t be too long before all localities will feel they are falling behind if they don’t move in this direction,” Lubell said.

The City of Decatur, Georgia, which recently joined, is the 4th city in Georgia and 50th city nationally to announce it would participate in the program and commit to adopting policies and practices that promote inclusion within local government and the broader community.

In sharp contrast to inaction in Congress, communities nationwide are moving full steam ahead to embrace immigration as vital to their future prosperity. “What we’re seeing is a growing number of local governments who recognize that they can create stronger communities where everyone is valued. Building on the strengths and talents of all residents – including immigrants – is simply good policy,” said David Lubell, Executive Director of Welcoming.

A unique feature of Welcoming America’s program is that local governments are encouraged to work with community based organizations and the private sector to engage the broader community in a dialogue around their changing demographics. These innovations have continued to drive growing participation from communities who want to gain a competitive edge by becoming more inclusive. Learn more about the policies and programs being created across the country.