CSLF Report, Publication No. 28, Sept. 13, 2016, Xi Huang and Cathy Yang Liu As of July 2015, 50 cities in 31 states had joined an initiative called Welcoming America's Welcoming Cities, a national grassroots cooperative for immigrant-welcoming communities to share resources and ideas. In this new study, researchers examine these cities' characteristics, as well as the cities' programs for immigrants and motivations for starting a "welcoming city."