D.M. Partnership names plan to attract immigrants

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is working on a plan to attract more immigrants to central Iowa in order to boost the area’s workforce.

Dubbed the Des Moines Immigration Initiative, the plan is a joint project between the Greater Des Moines Partnership and the Partnership for a New American Economy.

The initiative includes the creation of a task force made up of government, business and community leaders, according to a statement. The task force will develop policy recommendations intended to make the Greater Des Moines area “a premier destination for foreign-born talent.”

In turn, the Greater Des Moines Partnership hopes attracting immigrants to the area will boost the economies of central Iowa and the state.

Calls for attracting immigrants to the state are not a new phenomenon for Iowa.

For example, the Greater Des Moines Partnership has pushed for legislative changes at the federal level that would expand visa programs to immigrants who come to the U.S. for work.