HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/16/2022 10. Consideration of signing onto letter Welcoming Refugees in FY 2023 BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA STATEMENT
Item No. 10.
For Meeting of:August 16, 2022
ITEM TITLE: Consideration of signing onto letter Welcoming Refugees in FY
2023
SUBMITTED BY: Bob Harrison, City Manager
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
Refugee Advocacy Lab and partners are releasing a nonpartisan, unbranded letter calling on
President Biden to urgently rebuild the refugee resettlement program in FY 2023. They're calling
for state and local elected leaders to sign on to the letter. The deadline for signing the letter is
August 29th. Council needs to decide if it wants the Mayor to sign on to the letter or if individual
Council members can sign on.
ITEM BUDGETED:
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL BY THE CITY MANAGER
RECOMMENDATION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Upload Date Type
ID email signing on to welcoming refugee letter 8/10/2022 Corer Memo
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Price, Cally
From: Harrison, Bob
Sent: Thursday, August 4, 2022 11:27 AM
To: Price, Cally
Subject: FW: State and Local Elected Leaders Sign-on Letter for Welcoming Refugees in FY2023 -
deadline 8/29
Bob Harrison
City Manager
City of Yakima
129 North 2nd Street
Yakima, WA 98901
www.vakimawa.gov
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From: Byers, Patricia <Patricia.Byers@yakimawa.gov>
Sent:Thursday, August 4, 2022 11:25 AM
To: Harrison, Bob<Bob.Harrison@yakimawa!gov>
Subject: Re: State and Local Elected Leaders Sign-on Letter for Welcoming Refugees in FY2023 -deadline 8/29
Please have Cally submit to Council. Thank you.
Patricia Byers
City Council - District 3
City of Yakima
On Aug 1, 2022, at 4:43 PM, Harrison, Bob<Bob.HarrisonPvakimawa.gov>wrote:
It should go to the Council.
Bob Harrison
City Manager
City of Yakima
129 North 2nd Street
Yakima, WA 98901
www.vakimawa.gov
4.523111N
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901
3
From: Byers, Patricia <Patricia.Bvers@yakimawa.gov>
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2022 2:17 PM
To: Harrison, Bob<Bob.Harrison@yakimawa.gov>
Subject: Fwd: State and Local Elected Leaders Sign-on Letter for Welcoming Refugees in FY2023-
deadline 8/29
Is this something we should forward to Council, or forward to all Council fur individual choice?
Patricia Byers
City Council - District 3
City of Yakima
Begin forwarded message:
From:Verlynn Best<verlynn(c7vakima.org>
Date:July 18, 2022 at 9:01:17 AM PDT
To: "Byers, Patricia" <Patricia.Byers@yakimawa.gov>
Subject: FW: State and Local Elected Leaders Sign-on Letter for Welcoming Refugees in
FY2023-deadline 8/29
FYI
From: Asma Easa <AEasa@immcouncil,org>
Sent: Monday,July 18, 2022 8:37 AM
To: Asma Easa <AEasa@immcouncil,org>
Cc: Mo Kantner<MKantner@immcouncil.org>
Subject: State and Local Elected Leaders Sign-on Letter for Welcoming Refugees in
FY2023 -deadline 8/29
CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organization. Please exercise caution before
opening attachments, clicking links, or following guidance.
Dear chamber colleagues, '
Please see below an advocacy opportunity from the Refugee Advocacy
Lab.
Refugee Advocacy Lab acid„partners are releasing a nonpartisan,
unbranded letter calling on-President Bident to urgently rebuild the refugee
resettlement program in,F=Y 2023. They're calling for state and local
elected leaders to sign on to the letter. The deadline for signing the
letter is August 29th.
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As chambers and business leaders who intimately know the incredible
value of welcoming refugees into our labor force, local economies, and
social fabric, we hope you can partner with us in this effort.
We are asking chamber colleagues to share this opportunity with your
mayor, governor, and other electeds in your city, county, and/or state. To
sign on to the letter, elected officials can do so here. In your outreach, feel
free to share (or take language from) "5 Reasons Why Businesses Should
Support Refugee Inclusion" for more on why the business community is
ready to welcome. Please feel free to share this among your networks as
well. For more information, please see below.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!
Thank you for your continued engagement,
Asma
In anticipation of the President's annual decision on how many refugees
the United States will resettle in the upcoming fiscal year, the Refugee
Advocacy Lab is working with partners across the country to encourage
state and local elected officials to sign a nonpartisan, unbranded
letter emphasizing how vital refugees are to our communities, and why we
need a robust, well-funded system to welcome them. This letter urges
President Biden to rebuild and resource the refugee resettlement
program so that we can better meet our commitment to welcoming
refugees in FY 2023.
Last year, we were able to get more than 300 signatures from elected
officials from all 50 states. This year, our goal is to not only increase that
number, but deepen bipartisan representation so that we have support
from both parties in each state. We appreciate your help in spreading the
word and sharing this opportunity with elected officials in your state.
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Elected officials can sign the letter HERE. You can find social media
toolkit & graphics, as well as sample emails and call scripts for
constituents, HERE. The letter will close on August 29, 2022 and will
be released publicly in'early September.
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If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to
outreach aRrefugeeadvocacylab.orq!
https./Iwelcomingrefugees2023.orq
Asma Ease
Manager, State and Local Initiatives
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
aeasat immcouncii.org
American Immigration Council:
1331 G Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
www.America n i mmigralionCo u ncii.o rq
The American Immigration Council and New American Economy have MERGED!
Now we have even more tools to serve immigrants from arrival to belonging.
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