“I believe the city of Dayton is at a crossroads,” said Tom Wahlrab, director of the city’s Human Relations Council. “We can either welcome them, help integrate them, help them on the path to citizenship, or we can let old stereotypes and fears and preconceptions hinder our success.”
City Commission is scheduled to vote on the plan next week.
Francisco Pelaez-Diaz, Hispanic missionary pastor at College Hill Community Church, helped lead the plan and said Dayton has pockets of residents from nations all over the world.
“Most of the people I work with are here without documents,” Pelaez-Diaz said. “But I think of this in a practical manner. Immigration law is a federal issue. They are here already. If we make them feel welcome, they are more willing to adjust to our culture, more willing to contribute to our community and our economy. Most are hard-working, family-oriented, decent people.”
City Manager Tim Riordan supported the immigrant initiative, pointing to statistics that immigrants are twice as likely to be entrepreneurs and saying the effort could help a shrinking city grow again.
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