In an op-ed for The Dallas Morning News, Cullum Clark, Director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute and Rachel Perić, Executive Director at Welcoming America, explain why immigrants are filling essential jobs and are overrepresented among America’s inventors and entrepreneurs.
“As national pundits focus on the increase of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, a different conversation is unfolding in Prosper, here in North Texas.
Several dozen residents of the fast-growing Dallas suburb gathered on a Thursday night in January at the invitation of Mayor David Bristol for an honest, respectful exchange on how America should address its immigration challenges and how Prosper can welcome newly arriving people from around the world.
Prosper isn’t alone. Cities across America are reimagining what it means to be a high-opportunity community that builds shared prosperity and welcomes newcomers, including new Americans. Cities and towns that get it right, such as Dallas, which became the first Certified Welcoming city in Texas in 2019, are reaping significant, measurable benefits.”
Read the op-ed to discover the benefits that come to cities who welcome immigrants.
Read our latest Blueprint for Opportunity report, “Immigrants and Opportunity in American Cities.”
