Immigration 

Most people think of immigration as an urban experience. Yet, most of today's (im)migrants are choosing to settle in rural places and small towns. In the last few years, rural areas have witnessed enormous changes in their racial and ethnic demographics. Far from random and haphazard, the movement of (im)migrants to rural communities has almost exclusively been due to jobs which have attracted families to areas of the country that have never seen these populations before.

Meatpacking, poultry processing, large-scale dairies and traditional agricultural fieldwork are just a few of the types of employment into which this new population has been heavily recruited. In many cases these new rural residents are helping to revitalize rural communities which otherwise struggle with low incomes, an aging population base, limited access to services, and weak infrastructure.

It is against this backdrop that we support the work of individuals and community institutions to welcome newcomers and to ensure that the rights of all are respected.