Our Mission

The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) works to promote the community well-being and inclusion of immigrant communities by identifying needs and opportunities that immigrants bring to our city. Within City government, our office assists other agencies and decisionmakers in better understanding and serving immigrant residents. Outside of City government, we collaborate with community-based organizations to ensure immigrant residents are being connected to critical resources and services.
 

Our Roles

Our office has many important roles, including:

  • Building Community: We bring people together and help immigrants take part in city life. We connect them with public services and help them get involved in their neighborhoods and with city government.
  • Language Access: We help city workers better serve people with limited English language abilities. We provide training and tools to break down language barriers.
  • Speaking Up for Immigrants: We work with the Mayor, City Council, and others to advocate for policies that benefit immigrants in Baltimore.
  • Assisting City Agencies: We give city agencies information and tools to better understand and serve immigrant communities.
  • Sharing Information: We connect residents with updates about the City's programs, events, and services in the five languages most commonly used by those with limited English language abilities.

Our Community

Baltimore City Foreign Born Demographics Dashboard

As of 2024, Baltimore City was home to an estimated 53,397 New Americans, almost 10% of the City's population. Our immigrant communities are an important driver of Baltimore City's recent population growth, helping to reverse decades of population decline.

The five most commonly spoken languages among residents with limited English proficiency are Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean, and Arabic. Additionally, the Baltimore City government regularly engages with residents in 30 other languages.

Our History

Cover of The Role of Immigrants in Growing Baltimore

In the summer of 2013, the Office of the Mayor convened a New Americans Task Force to develop a plan to retain and attract immigrants to Baltimore City.

To determine the direction and priorities for the New Americans Task Force, the Office of the Mayor collaborated with stakeholders from City agencies, non-profit organizations, private partners, foundations, financial institutions, and many others. 

At the conclusion of twelve weeks, the New Americans Task Force presented a series of thirty-two recommendations to strengthen efforts to make Baltimore City a welcoming place of economic opportunity and inclusion.

The task force's full report was released to the public in September of 2014. As per the report's recommendations, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) was established that year.