On October 20, 2011 the Americas Society presented in New York The Economic Impact of Immigrant-Related Local Ordinances, a white paper that compares the economic impact of restrictive versus non-restrictive immigrant-related local ordinances. As part of the public reception—to which over 80 people attended from the academia, private and public sectors— a discussion panel took place with the participation of Roderick Royal, President, Birmingham City Council, Alabama; Ronnie Steine, Member-at-Large, Metropolitan City Council of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; and Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member, Co-Vice Chair of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, The New York City Council.
The report makes an analytical comparison of the average economic effects on the business environment—measured as number of businesses and number of employees—of immigrant-related ordinances issued between 2006 and 2008 that were still being enforced through 2009. The sample of restrictive ordinances includes those related to housing, employment, 287(g), and English-only. Among the non-restrictive ordinances were the so-called sanctuary cities.
Restrictive ordinances, the white paper shows, do have a negative impact on the number of employees when compared to cities that issued and implemented non-restrictive ordinances. For more information on the cities, the ordinances, the results, and a summary of the public reception click here.
