Versión en español a continuación. Commission on Immigrant Affairs Meeting Monday, March 1, 2021 Commission on Immigrant Affairs to be held March 1, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (February 28, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the March 1, 2021 Commission on Immigrant Affairs Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at 512-972-5117 or sinying.chan@austintexas.gov no later than noon, February 28, 2021. The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to sinying.chan@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión del Commission on Immigrant Affairs FECHA de la reunion (Lunes, Marzo 1, 2021) La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (Febrero 28, 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de junta en 512-972-5117 o sinying.chan@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe ser el número que se utilizará para llamar ). • Una …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20210301‐2b: Creation of Summer Camps in Spanish or Duel Language Summer Camps to Support A.I.S.D.’s English Learner and Duel Language Learner Population WHEREAS, 22.2% of Austinites speak primarily Spanish at home1; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin is committed to “making reasonable efforts to ensure that City services and information about those services are provided in a manner that is accessible, relevant, and timely to residents” even if those residents are limited in their English proficiency (LEP)2; and WHEREAS, on November 3, 2016, the City of Austin passed Resolution No. 20161103‐052 directing the City Manager to develop “Language Access Procedures” for each City Department that interacts with the public. The procedures were to specify steps for staff to follow to, among other things, deliver services to LEP individuals and ensure effective services are provided3; and WHEREAS, 26% of the 81,000 students enrolled in the Austin Independent School District are English learners4; and WHEREAS, 87% of those English Learners speak Spanish as their primary home language5; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) offers a wide variety of summer camps for children ages 5‐12 at affordable rates; and 1U.S. Census Data from available at: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=language%20austin%20tx&g=1600000US4805000&hidePreview =false&tid=ACSST1Y2018.S1601&vintage=2018&layer=VT_2018_160_00_PY_D1&cid=S1601_C01_001E 2 See the City of Austin’s Language Access Plan p.3 available at: https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/images/Airport/Travel_Security/Language_Access_Plan .pdf 3 Resolution No. 20161103‐52 available at: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=267426 4 https://www.austinisd.org/multilingual 5 https://www.austinisd.org/sites/default/files/dre‐ reports/18.22_Bilingual_and_ESL_Program_and_Demographic_Executive_Summary_2018‐2019.pdf WHEREAS, the stated goal of the PARD’s summer program is to “provide children with exciting experiences through structured recreation in a safe and welcoming environment”6; and WHEREAS, the PARD currently offers their summer camp information, website and enrollment materials in languages other than English, but conducts almost all of its over 500 camps in only English; and WHEREAS, English‐only summer camps are not welcoming environments for children who speak another language at home; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s Commission on Immigrant Affairs received testimony and feedback from the Austin community regarding the need for City summer programming in Spanish; and WHEREAS, the Austin Independent School District Dual Language program helps students excel academically while becoming bilingual, biliterate and bicultural and is committed to educating students in a multicultural learning environment and encouraging learners to celebrate diversity and become responsible citizens of the world7; and WHEREAS, these students would also benefit from continuing their exposure to Spanish throughout the summer. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20210301‐2b: Development of Immigrant Affairs Office WHEREAS, we heard from the community an appreciation that the Immigrant Affairs position was created, and a recognition that one person cannot handle all of the work that will be required; and WHEREAS, an immigrant affairs office would address the needs of the immigrant community in Austin are met; and WHEREAS, Austin has a large and diverse immigrant community, with varying needs and varying degrees of involvement in city government. Those most impacted are largely unseen, whether because of language barriers, cultural concerns, or concerns related to immigration status. This office will be able to reach out to the community so that their voices can be heard; and WHEREAS, immigrant communities have been most affected by the pandemic and the recent weather crisis, and having an immigrant affairs office helps ensure the communities are not only reached but best served, which helps the community as a whole; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin funded one full time position within the Equity Office to work in immigrant affairs; and WHEREAS, there is a large, diverse immigrant community in Austin, and our commission’s hope is that the immigrant affairs office can go out into the community to learn their concerns, see where there are gaps in services, and assess the City’s ability to address their concerns. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission on Immigrant Affairs recommends the expansion of the Immigrant Affairs office, since one person cannot take on everything that is required of this office. Date of Approval: March 1, 2021 Attest: Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 9‐0 vote with Samuel Adair and Glenn Rosales absent Staff Liaison
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20210301‐2b: Fund Citizenship Clinics WHEREAS, The City of Austin has funded citizenship clinics over the last two years. These clinics have been successful in helping immigrants become US citizens, including by helping at least 200 people at citizenship clinics; and WHEREAS, naturalization allows people to become more secure members of our community. They no longer face the risk of deportation. They can vote and participate in federal and local elections and can run for office. These are all assets to our growing population and we should provide support and education to individuals wishing to naturalize. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission on Immigrant Affairs recommends that the City of Austin continue funding naturalization clinics over the next two years. Date of Approval: March 1, 2021 Attest: Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 9‐0 vote with Samuel Adair and Glenn Rosales absent Staff Liaison
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20210301‐2b: Increase in Legal Services Funding WHEREAS, we heard that from the community that legal services funding is crucial, and that there is still unmet need; and WHEREAS, there are immigrants who need access to counsel, and cannot afford attorneys. This is especially so for immigrants facing removal proceedings; and WHEREAS, in a time of changes in immigration policy, people have more need of legal representation, as it’s become very complicated, and it is essential that immigrant communities obtain accurate advice and assistance. Those most impacted are low income immigrants; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin already funds legal services for low income immigrants who are Austin residents; and WHEREAS, there is a need for increased funding. Immigrants often work in the service industry and are being hard hit by the COVID‐19 situation. To compound that, if they do not have work authorization, they are not eligible for unemployment. This leaves immigrant families in a significantly worse situation than other Austin families at this time. Meanwhile, immigration rules have been changing over the years and are due to change again; and WHEREAS, other communities have decided to invest in legal representation for immigrants at a greater rate than Austin has. Harris County recently approved $2.5 million in funding.1 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission on Immigrant Affairs recommends that we increase funding for immigration legal services. Date of Approval: March 1, 2021 Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 9‐0 vote with Samuel Adair and Glenn Rosales absent 1 https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston‐texas/houston/article/Harris‐County‐OKs‐2‐5M‐to‐help‐poor‐ immigrants‐15717330.php Attest: Staff Liaison
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20210301‐2b: Funding for Healthcare Navigation and Liaison Programs Benefiting Austin’s Immigrant Communities WHEREAS, immigrant communities in the City of Austin report a need for healthcare access services that remove language barriers and help navigate administrative healthcare systems; and WHEREAS, targeted community health navigation programs provide access to city and local health and wellness resources through patient advocacy, health navigation education, self‐sufficiency resources, interpretation/translation support, referrals to local resources, and eligibility & application assistance; and WHEREAS, programs already exist including the Austin Asian Community Health Initiative and the Latino Healthcare Forum’s PromoSalud program, among others, providing these resources to local Spanish‐ speaking, Chinese, Burmese, Korean, Nepali, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Syrian, Iraqi, and other Arabic speaking communities; and WHEREAS, some of these programs, namely, the Arabic and Chinese programs, run through the Austin Asian Community Health Initiative, are presently funded by emergency grants that will expire; and WHEREAS, the community identified a need to maintain and continue all existing programs permanently, and to expand current services to additional communities and initiatives; and WHEREAS, the Commission recognizes the public health benefit of these services to the City’s immigrant communities and the community at large, particularly during the global pandemic; and WHEREAS, some of these programs are already receiving funding from Austin Public Health, demonstrating the City also values these services. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the Commission on Immigrant Affairs recommends the City increase its funding to permanently maintain existing health navigation and liaison programs, and that Austin Public Health seek additional opportunities to fund these initiatives and partner with the local organizations providing these services. Date of Approval: March 1, 2021 Attest: Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 9‐0 vote with Samuel Adair and Glenn Rosales absent Staff Liaison
Joseph Ramirez-Hernandez Rennison Lalgee Nicole Merritt COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS Monday, March 1, 2021 5:30 PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING Meeting Minutes Board Members in Attendance: Karen Crawford, Chair Krystal Gomez, Vice Chair Juan Vences-Benitez Board Members not in Attendance: Samuel Adair Adrian De La Rosa Montserrat Garibay Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Glenn Rosales Staff in Attendance: Sinying Chan, Staff Liaison & Health Equity Unit Program Coordinator/APH CALL TO ORDER 1. REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES – February 1, 2021 Nicole moved to postpone February minutes to the end of meeting; Adrian seconded; all in February minutes was reviewed at the end of the meeting; Nicole moved to approve; Krystal favor seconded; all in favor 2. NEW BUSINESS: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS: A. Ruth Wasem, LBJ School of Public Affairs, latest finding on immigrant incorporation in the City of Austin B. Vote on budget recommendations Nicole moved to approve the recommendation on the development of Immigrant Affairs Office; Krystal seconded; all in favor Nicole moved to approve the recommendation on increasing in legal services funding; Montserrat seconded; all in favor Krystal moved to approve the recommendation on funding for healthcare navigation and liaison programs benefiting Austin’s immigrant communities; Montserrat seconded; all in favor Adrian and Krystal will work more on the language of the creation of summer camps in Spanish or duel language summer camps to support A.I.S.D.’s English learner and duel language learner population; Nicole moved to approve; Kate seconded; all in favor Montserrat moved to approve funding citizenship clinics; Kate seconded; all in favor Will table the recommendations on funding DACA clinics and immigrant integration mini grants 3. OLD BUSINESS A. Compassion Contract Joint Inclusion Committee hasn’t met since September; report back will be tabled B. Report back from ISNA and the RST quarterly consultations No consultation yet; report back will be tabled FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Municipal ID – economic development workforce idea April elections Resolutions and budget ANNOUNCEMENT Commissioner Glenn Rosales is still at the hospital; will send get well flowers Commissioner Montserrat Garibay will be the Senior Advisor for Labor Relations with the Office of Secretary of Education under the Biden-Harris Administration ADJOURNMENT Nicole moved to adjourn Kate seconded All in favor The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to …
