Place Branding for Immigrant and Refugee Integration and Receptivity Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Responses of U.S. Cities in the “Welcoming America” Network

Abstract

Despite vacillating national discourses on immigration policy and complications of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a growing number of cities continue affiliating with the international “welcoming movement.” The welcoming movement consists of a transnational network of municipalities in partnership with nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and other sectors of society that are implementing receptivity plans, policies, practices, and branding initiatives. Within this context, how are welcoming cities responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as one example of their place branding practices? Through a qualitative scan of municipalities’ primary documents, policies, plans, websites, and municipal leaders’ public pronouncements, this study contributes to understanding of immigrant receptivity processes and intersections with municipal place branding practices amid a pandemic by assessing their pandemic responses within a nationwide network of Welcoming Cities in the United States. Although there are burgeoning welcoming cities networks in other immigrant-receiving societies, this network was selected because they are the first, most established and comprehensive national network of cities with over 100 municipal affiliates. The findings offer scholarly and applied insights regarding place branding practices for immigrant and refugee integration and receptivity.