Attracting immigrants will help us all

• Many cities depend on immigration for population growth.
• Immigrants are associated with higher wages for all residents.
• The Cincinnati region and Ohio lag behind when it comes to attracting immigrants

This opinion is on behalf of the editorial board: Publisher Margaret Buchanan, Editor Carolyn Washburn, and writers Cindi Andrews, Krista Ramsey and Julie Zimmerman.

Welcoming immigrants may sound like a nice thing to do.

But the drive in many cities to attract immigrants has less to do with charity and more to do with improving local economies and increasing population.

Simply put, immigrants are good for a metro area's health and wealth. In 135 U.S. cities between 2010 and 2012, international migration outpaced domestic migration and natural growth; many of those cities would have lost people if it weren't for the immigrants arriving within their borders. And the presence of immigrants in a metro area is associated with higher wages for all workers in the area, with highly educated immigrants raising area wages the most.

Given the benefits of immigration, it's encouraging that Mayor John Cranley is making it a priority to attract and keep more immigrants here. On Thursday Cranley announced the kickoff of his task force on immigration, which emerged as an early goal of his.

Community leaders, including University of Cincinnati President Santa Ono, Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell and Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco will spend the next four months studying ways to attract and retain immigrants, boost the local economy through immigration and make life safer for new arrivals.

Cincinnati, the surrounding metro area and Ohio as a whole lag far behind the rest of the nation when it comes to attracting immigrants. Cincinnati's percent of foreign-born residents stands at just 5 percent, compared to 13 percent nationwide; the surrounding counties are all at or below Cincinnati's rate, while Ohio's is 3.9 percent. But cities like Dayton and Cleveland have been working to attract immigrants for a while, and they're beginning to see a payoff for their efforts.

There isn't just one kind of immigrant, and there isn't just one benefit the area could see from increased immigration. Low-skilled immigrants can repopulate streets full of vacant housing and foreign-born Ph.D.s can launch startup companies, which help the rest of us. Everyone in the region has a role to play in helping attract more immigrants, from patronizing their businesses to welcoming them as neighbors. It's the right thing to do, but it's also an investment that will pay off in a healthier, wealthier region for us all. ■

The task force

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley's Task Force on Immigration is co-chaired by Tom Fernandez and Raj Chundur. Committees and their co-chairs include:

• Economic development: Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber president Brian Carley and marketing executive Moira Tamayo.

• Community resources, welcoming and development: immigration attorney Marilyn Zayas-Davis and Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio CEO Ted Bergh.

• Education and talent retention: UC president Santa Ono and immigration attorney Doug Halpert.

• International attractiveness: Sister City Coalition President Bob Stevie and attorney Bill Robinson.

• Rights and safety: Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell and Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco.