MAPS IN THE NEWS:

The 19 cities shown on this map have been designated by the U.S. Department of State as potential resettlement targets for Afghans and others with Special Immigrant Visas. These cities were chosen based on cost of living, available housing, support services, and a history of being welcoming of immigrants. Dozens of U.S. mayors (as well as those of European cities) have specifically requested more refugees. Why do mayors want refugees? They see them as "crucial to their growth and prosperity. ... Refugees’ economic contributions far outweigh the initial costs of resettlement, as numerous studies have found. One such study, commissioned by the city of Cleveland, found that while in 2012, the city spent about $4.8 million on support for refugee resettlement, the refugees who’d settled there in the previous 12 years had contributed $48 million to the city’s economy. A similar study in Detroit found that refugees who had settled there between 2007 and 2016 contributed from $229.6 million to $295.3 million to the local economy, creating between 1,798 and 2,311 new jobs in 2016. In 2004, economist Kalena E. Cortes found that refugees 'work four percent more hours, earn 20 percent more in income, and develop their English language skills 11 percent faster than economic immigrants.' Refugees earn higher incomes than other immigrants, which means that their tax contributions are higher, too. ... Moreover, refugee communities have a high rate of entrepreneurialism. A 2017 report found that the percentage of refugees who operate their own businesses is greater than that of other immigrants or native-born citizens."
(Map mine; quote from www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/28/why-do-us-mayors-want-more-refugees/.)