Lead for Change: Actively campaign to receive policy and funding support for managing migrant reception and integration in urban areas.
Cities are powerful agents of change at the local level, but they must also engage with regional, national, and international policymakers to achieve systemic change. Lack of adequate resources, and obstructive national policies, may considerably limit the agency of local leaders to implement practical solutions. For example, restrictive national labor laws can severely inhibit the integration of refugees in the local formal economy. National cuts to city budgets can also hinder the ability of municipalities to provide sufficient public services in the most marginalized neighborhoods. While local leaders cannot change national laws themselves or reverse budget cuts, they can advocate for better policies and funding support from higher levels of governments in order to create an environment within which they can effectively operate. To achieve this, and in turn give impetus for effective policies and successful practices to be adapted and replicated by others, they have the responsibility to tell their stories so that effective policies and successful practices can be adapted and replicated by others.
Examples from the 100RC Network
London, New York City, and Paris — “Our Immigrants, Our Strength” New York Times Op-ed
Mayors are public symbols of the values and aspirations of a city, endowed with the power to set the tone for a city’s, and sometimes a nation’s, policies. In September 2016, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo released a joint op-ed in the New York Times enumerating the many ways immigrants enrich and bolster local communities. The piece argued for the continued acceptance and integration of immigrants, while also urging the national leaders meeting for the United Nations General Assembly to take decisive action in support of refugees and migrants. It broadly outlined all three cities’ continued commitment to promote inclusivity through substantive policy and programming at the local level.
Los Angeles — Day of Immigration Action
Mayors can show leadership through publicly stating their support for immigration, and by building broad political and civic coalitions to advocate for and sustain immigrant integration efforts.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has advocated at the national level for policies that focus on citizenship, immigration reform, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA); the latter is a federal policy which allows certain categories of undocumented immigrants entering the country as minors to receive renewable two-year terms of deferred action from deportation along with eligibility for a work permit. Garcetti has advanced this issue through the US Conference of Mayors with the Task Force on Immigration co-chairs and the Task Force on Policing. Most recently, he led the first-ever Cities’ Day of Immigration Action, an effort by mayors in more than 60 cities to mobilize law enforcement, faith leaders, legal advocates, and community organizations in affirming the indispensable role of immigrants in American life, and connecting people with the resources they need to protect themselves and their families. The Cities’ Day of Immigration Action was highlighted by Mayor Garcetti signing the executive directive, “Standing with Immigrants: A City of Safety, Refuge, and Opportunity for All,” which ensures that L.A.’s public servants remain focused on protecting people, serving communities, and saving lives — not inquiring about immigration status or engaging in federal civil immigration enforcement. The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs has issued a Community Resource Guide for immigrant Angelenos, which includes comprehensive information on civil rights, legal service providers and community organizations that can further assist them.
The guide can be found at LAMayor.org/KnowYourRights.
