During a three-year period from 2005 to 2008, governors in five states (Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington) issues executive orders launching ambitious projects to integrate immigrants into the economic, civic, and social life of their states. This study examines the genesis of these projects, their goals, methodology, and outcomes. The study includes an analysis of the strengths and “vulnerabilities” of these projects and concludes with a series of recommendations to ensure that such projects are not “shipwrecked by the emotionally charged politics surrounding immigration.” In preparing this study, the author Dr. Nicholas V. Montalto, reviewed the extant literature and interviewed key informants in the five states.
