The next item on the agenda for the Bellingham City Council meeting on Monday, February 19 was a government voting to postpone upcoming discussions of the Immigration Advisory Board.  ,
In 20 hours, the committee voted 6- 1 to halt. The single “nay” ballot came from Jace Cotton, just appointed at- big councilmember.
The IAB, formed in 2019 at the request of Councilmember Hannah Stone, served the purpose of connecting Bellingham’s expat community with local authorities. The IAB was established in the City’s website to “review and examine existing plans and make specific comments to the Mayor and City Council regarding city legislation related to immigration things.”
Stone also suggested that the IAB be suspended from a City Council meeting on January 2 through a review legislation. She afterward made mention of a disconnect between town officials and board members.
She stated in an email that “efforts to move ahead had become extremely antagonistic and unproductive,” adding that the suspension was meant to help a reconfiguration of work while upholding trust and transparency.
IAB part Tara Villalba stated,” I joined because I wanted to do something that would make a difference for refugees.”  ,
Villalba expressed her sorrow with the City’s handling of the board’s formation and suspension. The City felt that the union’s labor could advance their already-established priorities, and that the concerns raised by committee members threatened and uneasy the City employees.  ,
Villalba claimed that the local government wanted them to be polite and not irate, and that she thought IAB users were supposed to behave in a certain way when delivering their information.  ,
” They failed the american community”, Villalba said. We were putting assets behind us because the City had never given it any thought.
Villalba believes that the City’s decision to postpone important job that is unique to the expat community and unheard of elsewhere by halting the City’s future meetings.
Michael Lilliquist, a council member in Bellingham City, has a unique perspective on the cause of the IAB’s suspension. The establishment of an immigrant resource center that would act as a historical and knowledge hub was one of the board’s main objectives. Without providing many more information, Lilliquist claimed that the board was attempting to obtain City money for the resource center.
” Our advisory boards are n’t advocacy organizations”, he said.
According to Lilliquist, there is a disconnect between what the IAB people want and the duties of an advisory panel like this.  ,
” About whatever they’re asking for is supposed to be provided by the immigrant tool facility, not by the IAB,” he said.
Lilliquist said the IAB had n’t been giving City advice on things that were already happening, despite the fact that he backs the idea of an immigrant resource center.
” I really think there’s been this kind of mistake about the position of the IAB”, he said.
The San Luis Valley Immigrant Resource Center in Alamosa, Colorado is led by Flora Archuleta as its executive producer. The centre, which has been in operation for 23 years, assists refugees in settling down and facilitating community integration.  ,
According to Archuleta, the main benefit of their work is being able to offer legal services to those who normally would need to go to get them. She claimed that Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, is the closest legal location after a three-hour travel.  ,
” It takes a lot of dedication, and persistence, and work”, Archuleta said in an email, adding that their workers are continuously busy.  ,
Julien Labiche is administrator of the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center in Wheaton, Maryland. He stated that the facility is primarily a welcoming place for immigrants.  ,
In an email, Labiche wrote,” We strive to relieve and facilitate access to the success of existing solutions and possibilities that are challenging to explore when you are new to the area and do not speak English.”
He claimed that receiving positive feedback from residents about the source center’s benefits, which included computer classes, details and referral lines, is what he found to be the most satisfying aspect of his job.  ,
This feedback brings us to the Gilchrist Center’s goal, which is to create a link between people and the services offered by local governments, Labiche said.
Stone claimed that the board may have benefited from a more in-depth creation process at the beginning.
” Unlike other town boards and commissions, the function of the IAB does not directly correlate with a particular city office, system or activity”, she said.
More details can be found on the IAB site. The ordinance to suspend the board does n’t outline processes by which the board’s work will continue.
” We understand that we’re not disbanded”, Villalba said. However, we are essentially prevented from continuing with our discussions by suspending them.
