COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 6:30 PM AUSTIN CITY HALL ROOM 1101 301 W 2ND STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Krystal Gomez, Chair Nicole Merritt, Vice Chair Sara Becker Karen Crawford Adrian De La Rosa AGENDA Rennison Lalgee Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Joseph Ramirez-Hernandez Glenn Rosales Juan Vences-Benitez CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 who register to speak no later than noon the day before the meeting will be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – February 7, 2022 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Karla Peredo, Office of Police Oversight, to provide updates on current work to revise APD’s body-worn camera and dashboard camera policies and speak on previous and future community engagement efforts with immigrant and refugee communities b. Chief Joseph Chacon and Lieutenants Christine Chomout and Craig Smith, Austin Police Department (APD), to discuss: (1) U-Visa report and (2) Resolution 74 Immigration Enforcement report c. Brie Franco, Intergovernmental Relations Office, briefing on legislation that passed that affects the City of Austin d. Budget discussion and vote on recommendations 3. OLD BUSINESS a. Report back from ISNA and the RST quarterly consultations – Juan and Rennison b. Joint Inclusion Committee meeting updates – Karen FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Sinying Chan at Austin Public Health Department, at 512-972-5117, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Commission on Immigrant Affairs, please contact Sinying Chan at 512-972-5117.
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20220307-2d1: 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 help ensure 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 ongoing energy and utility crises, 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; and WHEREAS, many cities that are Austin’s peers have established immigrant affairs offices, including Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio; and WHEREAS, a report by the LBJ School of the University of Texas at Austin found that an immigrant affairs office is necessary and recommended1. 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. 1 “Advancing Immigrant Incorporation in Austin,” Ruth Ellen Wassem et al, University of Texas LBJ School for Public Affairs, July 2021, https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/86821 Date of Approval: March 7, 2022 Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 9-0 vote with Glenn Rosales absent Attest: Staff Liaison
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20220307-2d2: Increase in Legal Services Funding WHEREAS, we heard from the community that legal services funding is crucial, and 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 has become very complicated, and it is essential that immigrant communities obtain accurate advice and assistance; and WHEREAS, the people most impacted by the complicated changes in immigration policy are low-income immigrants; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin already funds legal services for low income immigrants who are Austin residents. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission on Immigrant Affairs recommends that we increase funding for immigration legal services. Date of Approval: March 7, 2022 Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 9-0 vote with Glenn Rosales absent Attest: Staff Liaison
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20220307-2d3: Fund Refugee Health Screening Clinic WHEREAS, we heard testimony from staff of the City of Austin Refugee Health Screening Clinic regarding the work that they do and the challenges that they face; and WHEREAS, Austin has seen an increase in arrivals of refugees, including from Afghanistan, and will be seeing new refugees from Ukraine, in addition to continued refugee arrivals from other parts of the world; and WHEREAS, prior to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, the Refugee Health Screening Clinic was projecting for FY22 over four times the number of refugees in the Austin/Travis County area as compared to FY21; and WHEREAS, the work of the Refugee Health Screening Clinic supports the city’s outreach efforts to new immigrants and refugees, especially in the area of public health. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission on Immigrant Affairs recommends that we provide funding to the City of Austin Refugee Health Screening Clinic to pay for the salaries of two FTE staff. Date of Approval: March 7, 2022 Record of the vote: Unanimous on a 9-0 vote with Glenn Rosales absent Attest: Staff Liaison
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20220307-2d4: Creation of Summer Camps in Spanish or Dual Language Summer Camps to Support A.I.S.D.’s English Learner and Dual Language Learner Populations 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 provided, and3; 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 1U.S. Census Data from available at: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=language%20austin%20tx&g=1600000US4805000&hide Preview=false&tid=ACSST1Y2018.S1601&vintage=2018&layer=VT_2018_160_00_PY_D1&c id=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_Acces s_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 City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) offers a wide variety of summer camps for children ages 5-12 at affordable rates; and 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 most 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 …
COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 6:30 PM Meeting Minutes Karen Crawford Adrian De La Rosa Rennison Lalgee Board Members in Attendance: Krystal Gomez, Chair Nicole Merritt, Vice-Chair Sara Becker Board Members not in Attendance: Glenn Rosales Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Joseph Ramirez-Hernandez Juan Vences-Benitez Staff in Attendance: Sinying Chan, Staff Liaison & Health Equity Unit Program Coordinator/Austin Public Health CALL TO ORDER 1. REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES – February 7, 2022 • Postponed to next month; Kate moved; Karen seconded; all in favor 2. NEW BUSINESS: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS: A. Karla Peredo, Office of Police Oversight, to provide updates on current work to revise APD’s body-worn camera and dashboard camera policies and speak on previous and future community engagement efforts with immigrant and refugee communities • Results of two reports from 2015 and 2019 showed racial disparities persisted and in many cases worsen; OPO’s analysis revealed patterns that negatively affected Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino community members; Black/African American drivers are the most overrepresented group across all categories except for citations; Hispanic/Latinos received the highest percentage of citations; White/Caucasian are the most underrepresented in all categories; Asians are slightly underrepresented in all categories • Austin officer-involved shootings in 2018 showed that 7 out of 12 incidents involved Latinx individuals; most individuals involved in the 2018 incidents were ethnic minorities, specifically Latinx males, and most individuals involved in the 2018 incidents were between 20-28 year old; officers failed to use deescalate tactics in many incidents mail • Can make a complain/thank you for APD to OPO online, over the phone, in person, or by • OPO actively participates in community engagement events and building partnerships; it also provides education and resources • Current informational campaign to request public feedback that; project to rewrite APD’s general orders in the future few years; OPO’s analysis released in January 2022 found APD’s policy on body camera and dash camera is too vague; an officer can stop recording with a supervisor’s authorization but there’s no information on when the supervisor can make that call; OPO will ask for more clarity B. Chief Joseph Chacon and Lieutenants Christine Chomout and Craig Smith, Austin Police Department (APD), to discuss: (1) U-Visa report and (2) Resolution 74 Immigration Enforcement report • Chief Chacon was not available to attend the meeting • Lieutenant Christine Chomout shared data on U-Visa report and clarifications on denials • Lieutenant Craig …
