Columbus City Council wants to create a new Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Commission.
The commission, if approved, would help address the needs of the city's growing population. Multiple leaders from local immigrant groups spoke at a public hearing Tuesday, including the Haitian Community Network.
One of the first things the commission will do is review existing city policies to see how they can be improved to help the lives of immigrants and refugees.
Like nearby Springfield, Columbus has seen an influx of Haitian immigrants and refugees. The Ohio Haitian community has come under fire nationally since former President Donald Trump falsely accused the immigrants of eating people's pets in a nationally televised debate against Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and other right-leaning politicians have also repeated these false claims about the Haitian immigrant population.
It's communities like the newly arrived Haitians that Columbus Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla — whose family hails from Cuba — said a commission like this would help. Hundreds of Haitian families were part of the group of more than 1,000 people who were evacuated from the Colonial Village Apartment Complex last year.
Barroso de Padilla said the commission would help ensure that immigrant and refugee voices are heard, and will try to improve their ability to integrate, thrive and contribute to Columbus.
"Immigrants and refugees contribute significantly to our community, bringing cultural diversity, economic growth and valuable skills. However, they often face challenges in accessing city resources, services and navigating a new system," Barroso de Padilla said.
The councilwoman cited statistics about Columbus' expected growth over the next two decades. She said two million more people are expected to move to the region and immigrants will be among the largest chunk of them.
Barroso de Padilla said in 2014 and 2019, the region's total population grew by 6.4%, with immigrants contributing 26.4% of that growth.
Haitian Community Network Executive Director Marc FeQuiere said he hopes the commission creates economic empowerment and protects all immigrants from discrimination.
"All the jobs that nobody else wants to do, immigrants do them, or the small jobs or the small businesses that nobody else is thinking about, immigrants create them," FeQuiere said.
After representatives from the Haitian Community Network spoke, Barroso de Padilla spoke in support of Haitians and against the divisive rhetoric happening nationally against the Haitian community. Trump told reporters last week he would deport migrants in Springfield "back to Venezuela", even though they are from the Caribbean island of Haiti.
Trump and Vance now face potential criminal penalty after a Haitian community group filed charges against them in Ohio courts for their false statements.
"That is unfair and it creates chaos and it creates uncertainty, and it creates an unsafe environment for entire communities, cities and countries. And certainly here in the city of Columbus, we will not stand for it," Barroso de Padilla said.
Yola Lamarre, of the Haitian Community Network, said there is an obvious willingness among immigrants to assimilate and contribute in society. She said she believes this commission can help build a better Columbus.
"As a daughter of two immigrants from Haiti. I've seen the diligence of immigrants coming here for a better life and working hard. And I'm certain this will build a stronger and better Columbus for us all," Lamarre said.
Columbus City Council Legislative Analyst Christopher Maitland said other governments, including the state of Ohio, Franklin County and Dayton, have similar commissions in place to help address barriers faced by immigrants and refugees in accessing services.
Maitland said the commission will be made up of 15 people and there will be at least one member under the age of 25. Maitland said the commission will serve a large population of immigrants. He estimated the population in central Ohio to be at nearly 185,000 immigrants, making up about 8.7% of the population.
"This is due to the critical need of having a youth voice or someone younger to be able to be part of the discussions of what the commission does going forward," Maitland said.
Barroso de Padilla said the ordinance is very "prescriptive" right now, which is to allow for the flexibility of the commission to grow and to change.
"To be somewhat nimble to the growing and changing landscape of the city," Barroso de Padilla said.
If approved, the commission could be up and running by January.
