As Politicians Cry “Crisis,” Migrants Are Finding Their Way

A recent New York Times story is part of a growing group of stories shifting the narrative about the migrant “crisis.” Immigrants coming to cities is not a crisis. There are challenges, especially around short-term housing and legal services. But, as IRI advisory board member Nancy Foner is quoted in the article saying, “In so many ways, immigrants have always made and remade America. And they’re doing it again.” The article also quotes David Kallick, noting that “Immigrants tend to come in prime working age, so they are filling exactly where we have a gap.”

Kallick was also on CBS radio, in a 3-minute segment expanding on the reasons New York City shouldn’t panic, and in fact should have confidence that immigrants have always found their own way in the city, and brought new restaurants, music, ideas, and talent that have always made New York a vibrant place.

The two stories build on a story that ran in The City in June, putting the current challenge of integrating asylum-seekers in historical context.