Leading by example:
Local response to immigration
BY MICHAEL WILDES
ENGLEWOOD MAYOR
With the news of the senseless violence
in El Paso and the recent mass roundup of
undocumented workers in Mississippi, it’s
impossible to ignore the often-heartbreaking
challenges immigrants face in the United
States. With a Congress that is either incapa-
ble or unwilling to compromise on legislation
that effectively addresses the weaknesses in
our current immigration policy and a Presi-
dent more interested in inflaming an increas-
ingly radicalized base for political gain, the
burden of protecting at-risk populations
while simultaneously enforcing the law is
increasingly falling on local governments in
communities across America. The question
is: how can we make the global local?
As an immigration attorney and mayor of
a city blessed with a flourishing immigrant
population, I have seen first-hand how action
– or inaction – can impact a community.
Elected representatives of local govern-
ments need to understand that immigrants
are members of the community and are due
the same dignity, respect, and right to safety
as their native-born neighbors. Across the
country, lawfully admitted aliens add to the
richness of experience and promote shared
values. This is not a recent development –
integration is embedded in the DNA of the
USA. Responsible governance requires us
to make sure that recent immigrants are
encouraged to engage with their communi-
ties in order to fully integrate and contribute.
While critics of immigration claim that new-
comers threaten to dilute some unarticulated
notion of “American-ness,” the reality is that
these citizens readily embrace our customs
and traditions, bringing vibrancy and depth
to their adopted communities.
In the face of increasing strains on
services and the difficulty that comes from
governing individuals who frequently do not
want to be found, leaders are forced to make
tough decisions when allotting resources or
enacting policies that are fair and in keeping
with the spirit of the law. In sanctuary cities,
for examples, we understand that even the
undocumented are important members of
the community, and we take pains to
dexterously advise the population to ensure
that everyone knows their rights and can
safely raise their children. While no one
wants open borders, we need to exercise
deliberate compassion when dealing with
hard-working families who often toil in the
shadows and contribute vital services. At
the same time, we have to be mindful that
this spirit of inclusion can be stunted by fear,
intolerance, or simply misinformation, par-
ticularly when those sentiments are spewed
by so-called leaders. And no matter how
effective we are at managing complicated
immigration issues, there are cities in towns
in other parts of the country that actively
work with ICE and CBP to limit the undocu-
mented living amongst them.
The Bible teaches us to befriend the
stranger, as we were once strangers
ourselves. Now more than ever, we need to
encourage the kind of cultural and economic
vitality that comes with welcoming new
neighbors. We cannot hope for addition by
subtraction, and if we want to build a
country that truly is first among nations, we
need to show that our identity is not based
on lineage, but a commitment to the
principles that guide us – fairness, bravery,
and generosity. The Congressional silence
has been deafening, and we will remain a
nation divided without decisive action in
Washington. Until then, small cities and
towns must look inward to find a direction.
It’s a journey that can only start at home.
Poem by Aaliyah Pajueolo
To my future child,
To my future child and others too you will
never know my community the way I do
Its not bad and its also not perfect
But I wish u read it with the words I have
picked
DIVERSE is a word that the world seems to
shut out from tv, to music
And every platform somehow that word has
caused a drought
My community sheds a little more light
To walk outside and see pretty faces in my
sight
FRIENDSHIP as I use this word with a bit of
itch
People come and go like a sales pitch
They didn’t forget the people who helped you
grow
And the ones who doubted they’ll come back
and say I told you so
GIVING this word I say with a little more pride
This is what u need to really know about every
side
The warm hearts of different hands
Is what you should look for first
It’ll show everything about a place
Everything that it earned
One thing I learned from this place
Is that you can never give enough
And when the day is done and u go to bed
You wake up with a new way to make things
better inside your head
I hope you understand the deep care I have for
this place
And the smile it put on my face
Age-Friendly Englewood looks forward
In the months ahead, Age-Friendly
Englewood, a community-wide project that
is working to ensure that residents of
Englewood can age-in place in their homes
and in the community with dignity and
independence, intends to launch these
additional projects:
n Intergenerational programs to link
teens with older residents
n Advocate for improvements in trans-
portation, walkability and city parks
n Education about activities for healthy
living and nutrition
n Community garden near downtown
n Multi-cultural event with Mayor’s
Cultural Affairs Committee
For more information or to be added to
the email list, contact agefriendlyengle-
[email protected], call 201-591-5162 or visit
age-friendlyenglewood.org.
MYENGLEWOOD
SEPTEMBER 2019
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