via CNN
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.
“Critics conveniently connect the word ‘immigrant’ with the word ‘illegal’ when talking about the Welcome Dayton plan, but that’s not what this initiative is all about,” City Manager Tim Riordan said in a news release. “We have many good people from all nationalities coming here to invest in the community and to build a better life.”
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Article courtesy cnn.com
