Commission on Immigrant AffairsMarch 7, 2022

Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes
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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 Smith shared the Resolution 74 Immigration Enforcement report and provided clarifications on data C. Brie Franco, Intergovernmental Relations Office, briefing on legislation that passed that affects the City of Austin • 7,148 bills and join resolutions filed and reviewed by IGRO; 15% of filed bills and joint resolutions were passed; IGRO tracked 2,254 bills and joint resolutions that affected the City of Austin • City Police Funding had to stay the same; cannot be decreased but can increased • Camping is not allowed in public spaces • Texas is now a permit less gun carry state • No governmental agencies can’t contract with entities that boycott the firearm and ammunition industries • A bill was passed to reform the APD retirement system • A bill was passed to increase resources and capacity of Cloud Computing at the City • A bill was passed to add a new provider type and provider specialty for the enrollment of local health department entities in Medicaid; can bill Medicaid more efficiently • Lots of changes in Senate membership and leadership; potentially 40 new members in House; Austin delegation changes and committee assignments; interim charges likely after March primary D. Budget discussion and vote on recommendations • All commissioners worked on making edits on recommendations • Karen moved to approve the recommendation on the development of Immigrant Affairs Office; Nicole seconded; all in favor • Karen moved to approve the recommendation on increasing the legal services funding; • Karen moved to approve the recommendation on funding Refugee Health Screening Adrian seconded; all in favor Clinic; Kate seconded; all in favor • Karen moved to approve the recommendation on the creation on summer camps in Spanish or dual language camps to support A.I.S.D.’s English learner and dual language learner populations; Nicole seconded; all in favor • Karen moved to recommend all 4 recommendations to JIC; Nicole seconded; all in favor • Chief Chacon presented at the JIC; 30X30 – aiming for women to comprise 30% of force 3. OLD BUSINESS A. Report back from ISNA and the RST quarterly consultations • No updates from ISNA • RST quarterly consultations will happen tomorrow B. Joint Inclusion Committee meeting update – Karen by 2030 FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Emi Johnson from the Austin Public Library ANNOUNCEMENT • Commission Glenn Rosales has been in and out of the hospital 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 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 before the meeting date. Please contact Stephanie Hayden at the Austin Public Health at (512) 972-5017 or email: stephanie.hayden@austintexas.gov, for additional information. TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711.