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Welcoming Workforce Summit brings Nebraska leaders together to determine immigration policy solutions for stronger economy
July 28, 2026
York, Neb. — Nebraska business and community leaders are looking for ways to attract and retain workers as the state faces growing workforce needs — and many say immigrants and refugees are an essential part of the solution.
The second Welcoming Workforce Summit brought employers, advocates, and business leaders from around Nebraska together to discuss positive immigration policy solutions on Thursday, July 23.
The Welcoming Workforce Summit, held at Holthus Convention Center in York, was hosted by the Center for Immigrant & Refugee Advancement (CIRA) in collaboration with the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
The Nebraska Alliance for Thriving Communities, a statewide coalition of more than 70 Nebraska organizations working together to support policies that strengthen Nebraska’s workforce and communities, sponsored the summit.
“Immigrants and refugees are essential to Nebraska’s workforce, economy and communities,” said CIRA Director of Community Engagement Khenda Mustafa. “This summit focused on real strategies to ensure Nebraska remains a place where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and thrive.”
As immigration policy continues to evolve almost at a daily rate, the summit created space for employers, policymakers, and community organizations to discuss the challenges facing Nebraska’s workforce, while also identifying practical and collaborate solutions. The conversations focused on strengthening communities’ welcoming efforts, supporting employers through Know Your Rights presentations, and finding ways to ensure Nebraska remains competitive in attracting and retaining talent.
Grace Staehr, the economic development coordinator with the York County Development Corporation, said the County not only wants diversity in the community, but needs it for the workforce.
“In economic development, we often talk about attracting and retaining talent. But recruiting people is only the beginning. If we want people to stay, they must feel that they belong. They need opportunities to work and grow, but they also need connection, support, and a community they can call home. York became that home for me,” she said.
Staehr, who is an immigrant, asked CIRA why the organizers chose York to host the event.
“Why not York?” replied CIRA Director of Communications Sophia Ibrahimi, emphasizing that all Nebraska benefits from welcoming communities and the work toward doing so should be recognized.
Staehr said she wants to expand on the opportunities and resources for employers and community leaders to make York a place new Americans would want to build their lives.
Throughout the day-long summit, attendees participated in panel discussions, educational workshops, and a resource fair to connect them with organizations doing on-the-ground work with immigrants and refugees in Nebraska.
Nebraska Appleseed hosted a breakout room where participants played an immigration board game in which they could hear about real stories from people trying to immigrate to the U.S.
One immigration board game player said they learned “the path to citizenship is far more complicated and inhumane than I had realized. That even one mistake, even something that doesn’t feel like a mistake (getting married, etc.) can take your opportunity for citizenship away. Also that immigration laws really haven’t changed in 40 years!”
Participants also had opportunities to network with experts and advocates working to support integrating immigrants into the Nebraska workforce through solutions including upskilling and apprenticeship programs.
“Our state relies on new Nebraskans to fill our ever-increasing workforce needs, and we must challenge ourselves to identify ways to recruit and retain people,” said Matt Williams, former Nebraska lawmaker. “Immigrant workers are an essential part of our state’s economic success. At this Welcoming Workforce Summit, we came together to share successes, discuss challenges and work to keep our state growing and thriving.”
According to the Migration Policy Institute, immigration has been a “major driving force” in the growth of the U.S. labor force. Further, an analysis from the Council on Foreign Relations found the current administration’s restrictive immigration policies an increased enforcement has harmed the labor force, reduced consumer spending, and slowed GDP growth.
This year’s Welcoming Workforce Summit built on the conversations and ideas established in the inaugural event in 2024.
In 2022, Immigrant Legal Center and Refugee Empowerment Center merged, and the combined nonprofit organization is now CIRA, the Center for Immigrant & Refugee Advancement. Our diverse team of experts provides exceptional, compassionate legal representation, refugee services, and social work services. We take on the most complex immigration cases, resettle refugees from around the world, and ensure all clients have access to resources they need to live. Operating in 6 different offices from Council Bluffs to Scottsbluff, our team of more than 100 full-time employees helps communities welcome immigrants and refugees as they build their lives here. We assist with all forms of family and humanitarian-based immigration, and we never turn any family away due to inability to pay.
To empower immigrants and refugees to live confidently through high-quality legal representation, resettlement, and social work and to create welcoming communities through education and advocacy.
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