Washtenaw County officials have allocated funds to support undocumented immigrants with a 5-2 vote from the County Board of Commissioners on a series of resolutions. These proposals will be funded with taxpayer money and are estimated to total about $135,200 of one-time expenses.
Two of the proposals aim to express the county's welcoming attitude toward immigrants, while the final resolution gives authorization to the county to fund the Barrier Buster program, which provides short-term human services support. It also aides the Michigan Immigrants Rights Center, which provides services to those struggling with the immigration process.
During a meeting on the resolutions Wednesday, Commissioner Conan Smith said the recent climate surrounding immigration has had negative effects on the community. According to Smith, local governments should worry most about “the intimidation effect these policies and actions have on the immigrant community."
Though the package of resolutions faced opposition, it was able to pass with the support of Commissioners Jason Morgan, Andy LaBarre, Ricky Jefferson and Kent Martinez-Kratz. Commissioner Martinez-Kratz and Commissioner LaBarre both expressed the primary goal of the resolutions was to aid families caught in the crossfire of immigration issues.
Full article by Amara Shaikh attached here.
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