COLUMBUS, Ohio — The City of Columbus is implementing a new plan to help immigrants in the city by establishing a commission on immigrants and refugee affairs. A public hearing was held Tuesday night for the community to weigh in on what they hope the commission will provide to those who need it.
The commission will include 15 members, each appointed by City Council. Tuesday night, many community members expressed how they hope the commission can assist immigrants with resources like job training, access to affordable housing and other crucial resources.
Marc FeQuiere, executive director of the Haitian Community Network, was one of several public speakers who shared his personal perspective with the council.
"In 2019 that's when we saw a big influx of Haitians coming from Florida, Texas, and even New York to Columbus,” FeQuiere said.
FeQuiere said that influx inspired him to create his organization to help Haitian immigrants get necessary resources like language assistance.
"We have a lot of young women with small kids that need access to healthcare and because they don't have anybody to speak for them, or because of the language barrier, they have difficulties accessing those types of resources,” FeQuiere said.
The commission is also drawing attention to the false narratives recently being spread about certain immigrant groups in Ohio gaining national attention in recent weeks.
"It's frustrating and it hurts,” FeQuiere said.
"It is unfair and it creates chaos and it creates uncertainty and it creates an unsafe environment for entire communities, cities and countries,” Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla said.
Barroso de Padilla also highlighted how studies show a sense of belonging can significantly impact the lives of people within the community.
"The strength lies in us being together as a unified community because today it's Haiti and tomorrow it's another country,” Barroso de Padilla said.
"Hopefully we'll get to a place where people kind of feel at home here,” FeQuiere said.
The next step is to take all of the feedback from Tuesday night’s hearing and bring it before council to codify it. The goal is to have a commission seated by the start of next year.