In 2019, we surveyed hundreds of community members and consulted with partners throughout the county to develop the Beyond Welcoming platform. This policy blueprint for Nashville's mayor and metro council outlines how our city can ensure that immigrant and refugee communities can fully belong. Four years later, many of the recommendations still have yet to be implemented. Our city is growing more than ever, and in the face of growing state interference and attacks on marginalized communities, rising housing costs, and extreme weather, we need leaders who are committed to actualizing a vision where we all can belong and thrive. Below is an updated summary of our policy blueprint for Nashville's mayor and metro council so that we can truly be a welcoming city.
Combatting the Climate Crisis and Protecting Frontline Communities
From heatwaves to winter freezes to flooding - Nashville is experiencing more frequent and intense extreme weather and disasters. Nashville’s new leadership must take seriously the role of cities in combating the climate crisis. This means doing our part to rapidly reduce emissions, while protecting all frontline communities, including immigrants, from the worst impacts of extreme weather. From working outdoors in heatwaves without protection, to not receiving critical emergency warnings in languages other than English, and living in vulnerable housing, immigrants and refugees are among the communities hit first and worst by climate disasters and are often left behind in response and recovery efforts. Recently passed legislation at the federal level is unlocking billions of dollars in investments to reduce emissions, address environmental injustice, and build climate resilience. Our next mayor and council should aggressively pursue funding and make equitable investments, and enact new policies to ensure all Nashvillians are protected from the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
Protect Nashvillians from Deportation
Beyond disentangling the work of city government from federal immigration enforcement, the city can proactively protect Nashvillians from deportation. For example, local law enforcement and other government agencies could be required to inform residents of their rights when encountering immigration agents and the city can create a Legal Defense Fund to help Nashvillians get a fair shot at fighting their deportation in immigration court, where they are not guaranteed an attorney.
Reform Policing and the Criminal Legal System
As demonstrated in the Driving While Black report, communities of color are criminalized, overpoliced, and disproportionately represented in our criminal justice system. For immigrants, involvement in the criminal justice system, even for minor crimes, can lead to deportation and family separation. The next mayor and council must institute policing and criminal justice reforms that ensure fairness, due process, and racial equity.
Defend Workers’ Rights and Economic Opportunity
Immigrants and refugees have played a key role in our city’s economic growth. Across sectors and industries, immigrant families have helped make Nashville thrive. Although immigrants have high participation in the labor force, they experience higher rates of poverty than their U.S. born counterparts. The city can invest in workforce development and entrepreneurship in the immigrant community, set a high standard for quality jobs, and hold bad actors accountable for exploiting workers and low-income communities. Recently passed climate legislation at the federal level can help accelerate a green economy in Nashville and a transition to clean energy. We can ensure that new green jobs created by these programs or in major developments like the East Bank, are good green jobs, accessible to all workers. Climate change also creates increasingly dangerous conditions for Nashville workers. We can enact rules and oversight to ensure that there are basic protections in place for workers during disasters like extreme heat or tornadoes. The city can also help support working families who lose work and income during disasters but may be ineligible for federal benefits due to immigration status or other criteria.
Invest in Affordable Housing and Thriving, Connected Neighborhoods
If Nashville wants to be a welcoming city, we must ensure that low- and middle-income families—including immigrants and refugees—can have a safe and affordable place to live. The city must make bold investments in affordable housing, create policies and programs that mitigate the impacts of displacement and protect tenant rights that are accessible to limited English proficient residents. The city should ensure that resources for infrastructure, transit, parks, and other neighborhood improvements are equitably invested and that the assets of immigrant neighborhoods are protected and supported.
Increase Access to Services and Civic Engagement
Cities work best when everyone is able to fully participate and contribute. Immigrants and refugees, especially those who are newly arrived, face unique barriers to being able to access and engage with government agencies. Immigration legal services can often be a bridge to access other critical services and enable immigrant families to access more opportunities and become more civically engaged in their communities. The mayor and city council should ensure sustained funding for legal services for immigrants and refugees. They should also increase access to city programs and services, regardless of immigration status or language ability, support more targeted and robust immigrant integration initiatives, and coordinate their efforts through an empowered Office of New Americans. The city should invest in leadership development within immigrant communities and opportunities to engage and lead in the civic and political life of our community.
Ensure Equitable and Inclusive Education
More than a third of MNPS’s students come from households that speak another language than English; the future of our city depends on the success of all students and the participation of all families. Nashville must support MNPS in creating successful, equitable, and inclusive schools where all children can learn and thrive. For example, the mayor and council should increase MNPS funding and investments that increase educational equity. City leaders can support the development and implementation of policies and programs to ensure families can engage in the school system without fear of immigration enforcement and that students whose parents have been detained or deported are supported.
Defend Immigrant and Refugee Communities
In the face of unrelenting attacks on immigrants and refugees, we need our elected officials to take a bold stance in defending our residents and our values against the federal government and our state legislature - in the public conversation, in the legislature, and in the courts.
Supporting Healthy Communities
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of equitable access to healthcare and resources, as healthy communities are stronger communities. Unfortunately, many immigrants lack access to vital healthcare services. Previous federal and state policy changes and proposals have created lasting fear in immigrant communities, causing families to avoid healthcare services out of fear of deportation. This fear can lead to toxic stress and trauma, especially for children of immigrants. Nashville leaders must invest in resources and programs, enact policy changes, and educate community members on how to access critical health care resources. They must also work to restore trust and confidence in accessing healthcare services and mitigate the harm that persistent fear of deportation can cause.