Title
Charlotte Compact on Immigration
Action
Action:
Approve a Charlotte Compact on Immigration which outlines a set of guiding principles to address complex challenges associated with immigration and serves as an expression of community values related to issues central to the immigration discussion.
Body
Committee Chair:
Larken Egleston, Immigrant Community Committee
Staff Resource(s):
Federico Rios, Housing and Neighborhood Services
Explanation
§ The Charlotte Compact on Immigration is comprised of five guiding principles that address the complex challenges associated with immigration. This document expresses the council’s values as they relate to issues specific to our immigrant residents.
§ In concert with and support of the City Council’s endorsement of the compact, the City Manager will:
- Promote a Citywide Language Access Plan (LAP) and assess current multi-lingual staffing. Reviewed and updated on a biannual basis, the LAP defines the actions necessary to ensure meaningful access for persons who have limited English proficiency to services, programs, and activities offered by the City of Charlotte.
- Utilize a demographic breakdown when selecting individuals to serve on boards and commissions to ensure that diversity is considered in the appointment of members of boards and commissions. A demographic dashboard that would detail race, ethnicity, gender and district residence of candidates would be shared with Councilmembers.
- Submit recommendations from the Immigrant Community Committee’s Public Input sessions in March 2019 to Councilmembers for the development of next year’s federal legislative agenda and to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Mecklenburg County for consideration for policies and actions within their respective jurisdictional purviews.
Committee Discussion
§ In February 2019, the Mayor directed the creation of the Immigrant Community Committee to address apprehensions in Charlotte’s immigrant community. The committee was charged to convene members of the city’s immigrant community to co-create actionable solutions for immigrant issues.
§ The Immigrant Community Committee met on April 4, 17 and 29 to discuss community feedback and development of guiding principles to address challenges associated with immigration.
§ The Committee voted unanimously to move the proposed compact to full Council for review and approval.
Attachments
Attachment(s)
Charlotte Compact on Immigration