BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20210201‐2b: Support for City of Austin Legislative Agenda WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s greatest asset is its people who are passionate about their city, committed to its improvement, and determined to see its vision become a reality; and WHEREAS, the percent of registered voters who voted in the past 4 years of city elections exceeded 60 percent; and WHEREAS, an overwhelming majority of registered voters who live in Austin voted for the current Austin City Council representation; and WHEREAS, over 700 Austinites participate and serve on over 60 Boards and Commissions to help shape, and continually improve upon the policies of the City and lives of its residents; and WHEREAS, the input provided to the Austin City Council through the City’s Boards and Commissions reflects the will of the community; and WHEREAS, it is the intent of the City of Austin that the legislative agenda guide City staff, in coordination with the City’s strategic partners, in their efforts to advocate on behalf of the City of Austin and its residents; and WHEREAS, each year, the Texas Legislature increasingly attempts to pass legislation that negatively impacts the City through preemption or limiting the ability to advocate; and WHEREAS, the 2019 Legislature strongly considered and almost passed S.B. 29 which would have limited the ability of the City to utilize community advocates to effectively advocate on behalf of the policies created and supported by its residents; and WHEREAS, taxpayers and City residents benefit from and need community advocates as a tool that amplifies their voices before the Legislature, Congress, and regulatory bodies; and WHEREAS, a prohibition on community advocacy equates to censorship of residents’ voices and its detrimental to a representative democracy where all Austinites and Texans have equal opportunities to voice their opinions. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission on Immigrant Affairs of the City of Austin hereby recommends that: The Commission on Immigrant Affairs endorses the City of Austin’s 2020 Legislative Agenda adopted by the Austin City Council on September 17th, 2020. The Commission on Immigrant Affairs believes the general principals of the policy and position statements contained in the City of Austin’s state legislative agenda capture the positions of its membership and the community it represents The Commission on Immigrant Affairs urges all Austin delegation members of the Texas Legislature to protect the City’s right to …
COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS Monday, February 1, 2021 6:30 PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING Meeting Minutes Board Members in Attendance: Karen Crawford, Chair Krystal Gomez, Vice Chair Samuel Adair Juan Vences-Benitez Board Members not in Attendance: Banafsheh Madaninejad Glenn Rosales Adrian De La Rosa Montserrat Garibay Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Joseph Ramirez-Hernandez Rennison Lalgee Nicole Merritt Staff in Attendance: Sinying Chan, Staff Liaison & Health Equity Unit Program Coordinator/APH CALL TO ORDER 1. REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES – August 3, 2020; December 17, 2020 Sam moved to approve August minutes; Adrian seconded; all in favor Correction on Rennison’s attendance in December meeting; Montserrat moved to approve December minutes; Kate seconded; all in favor 2. NEW BUSINESS: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS: A. Edna Yang, American Gateways, information on successes with the City and immigration legal services funding The current City of Austin funding of $210,000 supports 1.65 full time employees (FTE) and the work is split between 3 attorneys; handling 183 direct representation cases; has been meeting the promised number 4th year into the contract with the City With additional funding, American Gateways will be able to hire 3 FTE with supporting staff B. Consideration of and vote on resolution in support of City of Austin Legislative agenda Should be recommendation, not resolution Nicole moved to approve; Krystal seconded; all in favor C. Vote on 2021 meeting dates and times Vote to move meeting to first Monday of each month, except July and September For July, will be on 7/5; for September, will be on 9/6 Sam moved to approve; Montserrat seconded Discussion on having the meeting during daytime; most commissioners cannot; Rennison suggested meeting at 5 or 5:30 pm Karen will check with City Hall regarding availability E. Vote on sending a commissioner to Quarterly Consultations of Refugee Services of Texas (Lauren Hargraves will introduce this); Immigrant Services Network of Austin; identify other meetings we should attend Rennison volunteered to attend Quarterly Round Table; Nicole moved to approve; Adrian seconded; all in favor Sam volunteered to attend Immigrant Services Network of Austin meetings; Krystal moved to approve; Montserrat seconded; all in favor F. Compassion Contract Table to next month; Joint Inclusion Committee hasn’t met G. Report back from Resilience is Community meeting (Juan) Juan was not able to attend the meeting 3. OLD BUSINESS A. City budget – …
Versión en español a continuación. Commission on Immigrant Affairs Meeting Monday, January 11, 2021 Commission on Immigrant Affairs to be held January 11, 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 (January 10, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the January 11, 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, January 10, 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, Enero 11, 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 (Enero 10, 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 …
Versión en español a continuación. Commission on Immigrant Affairs Special Called Meeting Thursday, December 17, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs to be held December 17, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (December 16, 2020 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the December 17, 2020 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, December 16, 2020. 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 (Jueves, Diciembre 17, 2020) 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 (Diciembre 16, 2020 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 512-909-0976 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 ). …
Versión en español a continuación. Commission on Immigrant Affairs Meeting Monday, December 7, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs to be held December 7, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (December 6, 2020 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the December 7, 2020 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, December 6, 2020. 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, Diciembre 7, 2020) 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 (Diciembre 6, 2020 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 512-909-0976 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 …
Versión en español a continuación. Special Meeting of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs Monday, November 9, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs to be held November 9, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (November 8, 2020 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the November 9, 2020 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, November 8, 2020. The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start 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 this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch- atxn-live Reunión del Commission on Immigrant Affairs la FECHA de la reunion (Lunes, Noviembre 9, 2020) 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 (Noviembre 8, 2020 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). La información requerida es el nombre del orador, los números de artículo sobre los que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutrales, y un número de teléfono o dirección de correo electrónico. • Una vez que se haya llamado o enviado por correo electrónico una solicitud …
Versión en español a continuación. Special Meeting of the Commission of Immigrant Affairs Monday, October 5, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs to be held October 5, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance Sunday, October 4, 2020 by noon. All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the October 5, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at 512-401-7801 or connie.gonzales@austintexas.gov no later than noon, Sunday, October 4, 2020. The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start 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 connie.gonzales@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 this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch- atxn-live Reunión del Commission of Immigrant Affairs FECHA de la reunion Monday, October 5, 2020 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 Sunday, October 4, 2020 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los residentes deben: junta en 512-401-7801 or • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de connie.gonzales@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). La información requerida es el nombre del orador, los números de artículo sobre los que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutrales, y un número de teléfono o dirección de correo electrónico. • Una vez que se haya llamado o enviado por correo electrónico una solicitud para hablar al …
COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS Monday, October 5, 2020 6:30 PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING Meeting Minutes Montserrat Garibay Joseph Ramirez-Hernandez Rennison Lalgee Nicole Merritt Glen Rosales Banafsheh Madaninejad Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Board Members in Attendance: Karen Crawford, Chair Juan Vences-Benitez Adrian De La Rosa Board Members not in Attendance: Krystal Gomez, Vice Chair Sam Adair Staff in Attendance: Sinying Chan, Staff Liaison & Health Equity Unit Program Coordinator/APH Connie H. Gonzales, Staff Liaison & Health Equity Unit Program Coordinator/APH Estephanie Olivares, Health Equity Unit Supervisor/APH CALL TO ORDER at 6:40 pm 1. REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES No minutes available for review Table to next month 2. NEW BUSINESS: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS: A. APD Office of Community Liaison presentation on their work – Sadot Azzua – Immigrant and Refugee Community Liaison; Mei Fung – Asian Liaison; and Veronica Saldate – Crime Prevention, NNO, and Seniors Liaison Presentation on their work and what they have done amid COVID-19 4 regions and 9 liaisons with different focus such as immigrant and refugee, Asian, crime prevention, Black, and LGBTQ etc. Main outreach tasks include safety fairs, town hall, community engagement meetings, and community presentations with presence of APD police officers Funding for programs of the APD Community Liaison Office is not in city budget and is raised by fundraiser – asking for recommendations on how to apply grants and funding Operation Blue Santa, for example, is one of the many signature and at-risk programs of the APD Community Liaison Office due to lack of fundraisers during COVID-19 Mike Sheffield, manager of APD Community Liaison Office, spoke about current situation of funding and would be the point person for further discussion B. Vote on meeting schedule for January 2021 – December 2021 Rennison moved to keep meeting on first Monday of each month at 6:30 pm Adrian seconded Discussed about the difficulty of room reservation and holidays/election on first Mondays of certain months Rennison amended motion to second Monday Adrian seconded All in favor (8-0) 3. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on budget recommendations for FY21, information on next steps for FY22 Most of our budget items were not funded. Increase of 1.1 million to Austin Public Health (APH) for mental health services, family violence prevention and immigrant legal services Next Joint Inclusion Committee budget retreat is tentatively moved to October …
Special Meeting of the Commission of Immigrant Affairs Monday, August 3, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs to be held August 3, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (Sunday, August 2, 2020 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the August 3, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at 512-401-7801 or connie.gonzales@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 30 minutes prior to meeting start 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 connie.gonzales@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 this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch- atxn-live COMMISSION ON Immigrant Affairs Monday, August 3, 2020 1:00PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING Rennison Lalgee Banafsheh Madaninejad Nicole Merritt Glen Rosales CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Karen Crawford, Chair Adrian De La Rosa Krystal Gomez, Vice Chair Montserrat Garibay Sam Adair Juan Vences- Benitez Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Joseph Ramirez-Hernandez AGENDA CALL TO ORDER 2. NEW BUSINESS 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: July 6, 2020 A. Zach Baumer and Celine Rendon, Office of Sustainability - Presentation on Austin Community Climate Plan 2020 Revision B. Rocio Villalobos, City of Austin Equity Office – discussion on the recommendations for use of municipal ID feasibility study funding, update about Welcoming America and the Welcoming Cities Week. 3. OLD BUSINESS funding A. Update on budget process – discussion of possible recommendation regarding police 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 …
COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFAIRS Recommendation Number: 20200803-003A Regarding: Austin Police Department budget WHEREAS, the Commission on Immigrant Affairs over the years has listened to reports from the community and from public and nonprofit agencies regarding the needs of the immigrant community; WHEREAS, the needs of the immigrant community are often unmet due to budgetary restrictions; WHEREAS, while our Commission has been able to make recommendations regarding the budget, and while we have been asked to look at equities and efficiencies within most departments, we have not been able to look the Austin Police Department’s budget with an eye to equities and efficiencies; WHEREAS, one of the concerns of this Commission has been community trust with the Austin Police Department; WHEREAS, commissions, community leaders and the public are calling for public safety reform and changes in the Austin Police Department leadership and budget in response to local and nationwide police violence; WHEREAS, the community has expressed concerns to us about over policing in areas of Austin where immigrants reside; WHEREAS, we have heard from the community in community budget forums concerns that the Austin Police Department Budget is out of proportion to other department budgets and concerns that APD funds could be put to better use; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That Boards and Commissions receive full information about the Austin Police Department’s budget and be able to make recommendations about it; That in discussing the Austin Police Department’s budget, Council take into account the need for community liaisons with the Austin Police Department, such as the Immigrant Community Liaison, and look into potentially expanding that program to further reach out to the Immigrant Community; That in discussing the Austin Police Department’s budget, Council take into account the need for Victim Services, and take into account whether there are sufficient bilingual or multilingual officers and whether such officers are culturally competent; That in discussing the Austin Police Department’s budget, Council ensures that Austin Police Department has officers on the ground who are bilingual and has officers on the ground who are culturally competent. COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFAIRS Recommendation Number: 20200803-003A Regarding: Austin Police Department budget PASSED by the Commission on Immigrant Affairs on August 3, 2020. Unanimously approved by the Commission on Immigrant Affairs on an 8-0 vote with and Banafsheh Madaninejad, Nicole Merritt, Kate Goldfinch, and Juan Vences-Benitez absent. Attest: Staff Liaison
Special Meeting of the Commission of Immigrant Affairs Monday, July 06, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs to be held July 06, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (Friday, July 3, 2020 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the June 06, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at 512-401-7801 or connie.gonzales@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 30 minutes prior to meeting start 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 connie.gonzales@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. Font Size: 12; Font: Times New Roman; Font Style: Regular COMMISSION ON Immigrant Affairs Monday, July 6, 2020 1:00PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING Rennison Lalgee Banafsheh Madaninejad Nicole Merritt Glen Rosales CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Karen Crawford, Chair Adrian De La Rosa Krystal Gomez, Vice Chair Montserrat Garibay Sam Adair Juan Vences- Benitez Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Joseph Ramirez-Hernandez AGENDA CALL TO ORDER 2. NEW BUSINESS 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: May 4, 2020 3. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on budget process B. Joint Inclusion Committee A. Stephanie Trevino, Public Health Educator II, Austin Public Health – Presentation on COVID-19 response in the immigrant community 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 Font Size: 12; Font: Times New Roman; Font Style: Regular or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call …
COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANTS AFFAIRS Monday, July 6, 2020 1:00 p.m. VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING Approved Meeting Minutes Adrian De La Rosa Joseph Ramirez-Hernandez Glenn Rosales Rennison Lalgee Nicole Merritt Montserrat Garibay Banafsheh Madaninejad Board Members in Attendance: Karen Crawford, Chair Krystal Gomez, Vice-Chair Juan Vences-Benitez Board Members not in Attendance: Samuel Adair Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Staff in Attendance: Connie H. Gonzales, Staff Liaison/APH Darrell Barnett, Manager/APH CALL TO ORDER at 1:05 p.m. 1. REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES – July 2020 Nicole moved to approve the minutes with amendments Approved on 7-0 vote with Sam, Banafsheh, Montserrat, Krystal, and Kate not present. Joseph seconded the motion 2. NEW BUSINESS: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS: A. Stephanie Trevino, Public Health Educator II of Austin Public Health – Presentation on COVID-19 response in the immigrant community. (written report forthcoming) Nicole moved to form a working group: Juan and Karen Krystal seconded the motion Approved on 8-0 vote with Sam, Banafsheh, Montserrat, and Kate not present. 3. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on budget process Budget will be released on July 13th Agencies that offer funding for mental health services are listed in the budget In reference to the CoIA recommendations: additional funding needed B. Joint Inclusion Committee We will be supporting other commissions and their recommendations Budget working group to work on a recommendation for APD FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS – N/A ADJOURNMENT Krystal moved to adjourn meeting at 1:29 p.m. Approved on 8-0 vote with Sam, Banafsheh, Montserrat and Kate not present. Joseph seconded the motion 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.
Commission of Immigrant Affairs Monday, May 4, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs meeting to be held May 4, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (Sunday, May 3, 2020 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the May 4, 2020 Commission on Immigrant Affairs Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at 512-401-7801 or connie.gonzales@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (Sunday, May 3, 2020). The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 30 minutes prior to meeting start 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 connie.gonzales@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 this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Font Size: 12; Font: Times New Roman; Font Style: Regular COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS Monday, May 04, 2020 10am VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Karen Crawford, Chair Juan Vences- Benitez Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Banafsheh Madaninejad Krystal Gomez, Vice Chair Adrian De La Rosa Joseph Ramirez-Hernandez Nicole Merritt . Sam Adair Montserrat Garibay Rennison Lalgee Glen Rosales AGENDA CALL TO ORDER 2. NEW BUSINESS 1. REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES: April 2020 a) Board elections b) Introducing Rocio Villalobos of Immigrant Affairs Office c) Discussion and possible vote on budget request for a quality of life study of the immigrant community, presented by Rocio Villalobos 3. OLD BUSINESS a) Bi-Lingual Summer Camp Recommendation 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 …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20200504-2c: Quality of Life Study of Immigrant Communities WHEREAS, the Commission on Immigrant Affairs passed a recommendation, subsequently adopted by City Council on March 20, 2014, declaring Austin a Welcoming City, WHEREAS, in 2018, Council directed the City Manager to “make a recommendation to City Council to determine how the City can most effectively coordinate and support policy and efforts related to the immigrant community,” WHEREAS, in August 2019, the City Manager published “Serving Austin’s Immigrant Community Report,” which included among its recommendations that the city “develop a strategy for providing services to immigrant communities,” WHEREAS, COVID-19 has highlighted existing disparities that negatively impact the immigrant communities in Austin. Immigrants, documented and undocumented, are facing difficulties in accessing resources and information, particularly during this time of heightened fear and uncertainty. The needs of the immigrant communities vary, in part, according to the way they arrived to the U.S. For example, while some qualify for support through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, including financial assistance and English language classes, others do not. Their needs also vary based on their levels of literacy and existing English language proficiency, all of which affect their ability to navigate systems and advocate for themselves. At this time, we have incomplete information about our immigrant communities, which affects our ability to support and serve them, WHEREAS, Austin/Travis County needs up-to-date and accurate information about our immigrant communities, with data collection methods and analysis that are anti-racist and equity based, will not put this community at risk for deportation, detention, harassment, or abuse, ensuring that our outreach and engagement efforts are culturally relevant and tailored to our various immigrant communities in order to provide resources and information that resonate and are effective. WHEREAS, difficulties that our immigrant communities face in accessing resources because we lack the relationships and adequate channels of communication to reach them can result in an inability to provide them with the resources they need, and inefficiencies in our service provision WHEREAS, the results of a Quality of Life study answer questions about the immigrant communities and will subsequently influence our policy recommendations to Austin City Council as well as our current outreach and engagement efforts. This research will guide our initiatives and bring our immigrant communities into the planning and implementation of future initiative, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission on Immigrant Affairs …
