Live Friday, Aug 14, 2026 | 11am PST
Overview
Much of the national conversation on immigration focuses on the U.S.-Mexico border and federal politics. Yet some of the most significant consequences of immigration policy are playing out far from the border: in America’s small towns and rural communities.
Over the past two decades, many of these communities have relied on immigrants to reverse population decline, fill labor shortages, sustain schools, open businesses, and strengthen local economies. As federal immigration policies become more restrictive, local leaders are grappling with new challenges affecting employers, schools, faith communities, law enforcement, and families.
This briefing will examine how immigration has transformed small-town America, how recent federal immigration policies are affecting these communities, and what these changes could mean for their future.
Related Coverage
- ‘They Age and Shrink and Die’ — Immigration Crackdowns Threaten Growth in Rural America
- YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: Crackdown, Slowdown: How Federal Immigration Policy Is Reshaping Small Town America
Guest Speakers
- Tim Slack, Professor of Sociology, Louisiana State University
- Jennie Murray, President and CEO, National Immigration Forum
- Rachel Perić, Executive Director, Welcoming America
- Mark Prosser, Former Chief of Police, Storm Lake, Iowa; now at the Diocese of Sioux City
- Dr. Carl Ruby, Senior Pastor, Central Christian Church, Springfield, Ohio
