Title
Supporting the Mayor’s establishment of the Immigrant Legal Defense Fund for the City of Saint Paul.
Body
WHEREAS, our nation has a tradition of accepting immigrants and refugees into our communities; and
WHEREAS, since its founding in 1849, Saint Paul has been a city that has been built through the labor of immigrants from numerous countries; and
WHEREAS, the latest American Community Survey data demonstrates that immigrants make up a significant portion of Saint Paul’s population with over 18 percent of residents being foreign-born and over 28 percent speaking a language other than English; and
WHEREAS, all people, regardless of immigration status, are endowed with the same universal and inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness enumerated by the signers of the Declaration of Independence, themselves being immigrants and the children of immigrants; and
WHEREAS, the protection of the human rights of residents of the United States, including the City of Saint Paul, is not just a moral imperative rooted in the founding principles of our nation but also essential to ensuring future economic prosperity for all who live, work, and conduct commerce within Minnesota and the City of Saint Paul, and
WHEREAS, the 2013 Economic Contributions of Immigrant Minnesotans report by Dr. Bruce Corrie and Sarah Radosevich indicates, among other facts, that immigrants play an important role in strengthening the workforce of critical business sectors in the Twin Cities with foreign-born individuals comprising a percentage of the workforce in the rapidly growing Food Preparation and Service as well as the Home Healthcare industries that is higher than their percentage of the total Twin Cities population, and
WHEREAS, the same report details that immigrants, regardless of immigration status, contribute to the tax base of the State of Minnesota through payment of sales taxes, income taxes, and other taxes and fees, and
WHEREAS, a 20...
Click here for full text