Behind the push to attract immigrants is also another hard hitting factor that many U.S. cities have been struggling with for a number of years since the beginning of the latest depression cycle: the ever increasing depopulation of industrial cities. According to Audrey Singer, a Brookings Institution senior fellow, two things start to happen after attracting immigrants: the population increases and there is an uptick in economic activity.
Instead of being viewed as unwelcome aliens that take jobs away from American citizens, these programs view immigration as a dynamic, driving force that holds the key to a better economy and a thriving city. In a manner of speaking, they hold the keys to the city, and are the recipe for revival in desperate times. It is a refreshing change of opinion and begs the question: if American cities are implementing their own alternative to immigration reform, then what is to happen with reform on the grander scale?
Therein lies a can of worms that politicians do not wish to touch. Perhaps the best way to move forward into the future is embrace the concept of global cities. It has been done before, and with success. Now is the time for a recurrence to help America get back on its feet. While it may be a different approach and a contentious one, it is the present reality. When reality calls, it is time to answer, adapt, adjust and move forward.