HomeMy WebLinkAboutResponse To Constituent Letter - Mail Packet - 4/20/2021 - Letter From Mayor Wade Troxell To Human Relations Commission Re: Fort Collins Immigration Legal Defense FundMayor
City Hall
300 LaPorte Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.416.2154
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
April 14, 2021
Human Relations Commission
c/o Carol Thomas, Staff Liaison
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
Dear Chair Beth Jaeger and Commission Members:
On behalf of City Council, thank you for providing the April 14, 2021 memorandum regarding
“Fort Collins Immigration Legal Defense Fund” wherein the Commission requested the Council
allocate funds to establish this fund in support of the City’s strategic plan.
The Council will be discussing this item at the April 20, 2021 Council meeting and we
encourage you to view the proceedings online that evening. Login details can be found at
https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/agendas.php.
Thank you for your feedback on this important topic and we are grateful for your service to the
community.
Best Regards,
Wade Troxell
Mayor
/sek
cc: City Council Members
Darin Atteberry, City Manager
DATE: April 14, 2021
TO: Mayor Wade Troxell
City Councilmembers
City Manager Darin Atteberry
CC: Sarah Kane
Dawn Kennedy
Carol Thomas
FROM: The Human Relations Commission
RE: Fort Collins Immigration Legal Defense Fund
During our April 8th meeting, the Human Relations Commission (HRC) received a compelling
presentation from Patricia Miller, Alianza NORCO, and Claudia Perez, La Cocina, regarding the
proposed Fort Collins Immigration Legal Defense Fund. The HRC fully supports the creation of
this Fund to support the City’s Strategic Plan; specifically, that “equity and inclusion are
frameworks to accomplish the City’s goals of sustaining an environment where residents and
visitors feel welcome, safe, and valued in the community.”
An Immigration Legal Defense Fund will help our City’s immigrant adults and children move
closer to:
Legal equity and due process
Economic equity
Health and safety equity
With 11,000 immigrant residents in Fort Collins, we believe that the City’s return on investment
in creating an Immigration Legal Defense Fund will be significant. Providing quality low
cost/pro bono legal services to assist immigrants with cases related to detention and deportation,
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, DACA, Lawful Permanent Residency, Temporary Protected
Status, and naturalization to become a US citizen will build the social and economic health of the
immigrant community and, in turn, our entire community. Absent this Fund, our immigrant
community will continue to be at risk for higher levels of physical and mental health issues,
economic and housing instability and, in addition, will lack the belief that they are safe and
belong to our community.
The HRC requests our City leaders to allocate the required funds to establish an Immigration
Legal Defense Fund. We believe our immigrant community must have access to quality,
affordable legal services to demonstrate to Fort Collins residents that equity and inclusion are at
the heart of what makes Fort Collins a healthy, safe and welcoming community for all.
Thank you for your consideration.