In the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order to pull federal funding from sanctuary cities and restrict travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, the city of Renton is stressing its commitment to “build an inclusive city with opportunities for all.”
In a statement, Mayor Denis Law said, “The recent executive orders by President Trump, especially those related to immigration, have created a lot of fear and concern throughout the country and in our community. Renton’s community members have been asking how our city is dealing with the issue.”
While Renton doesn’t identify as a sanctuary city, Law said that city employees, including police officers, do not check on the immigration status or documentation of the residents, and that the city has been meeting with community leaders and members of local immigrant communities to reassure them that the city has no plans to “check on the status of those doing business with the city or requesting police or any other city assistance, regardless of mandates coming from the White House.”
For Law’s full statement, click here.
At a recent Inclusion Taskforce — a task force assembled by Law in 2015 to support the city’s mission to “serve all who live in the Renton community — meeting, members pledged to continue working towards making all residents of Renton feel safe and welcome.
According to a press release, the task force will look at expanding commerce and business opportunities for all, facilitating forums to encourage open conversations between different cultural groups, hosting career fairs to increase employment, engaging youth participation, exploring opportunities for seniors and immigrant groups to come together, and increasing outreach to different community groups about city services over the next few months.
The task force recently welcomed seven new members this year, increasing their representation to 16 ethnic groups. The full task force meets about five times a year. Since 2015, the task force has hosted numerous events, including community dialogues, forums and festivals.
“Our goal is to embrace the diversity in the Renton community and build an inclusive city with opportunities for all,” Law said. “The voices and engagement of all members of our community are essential to the vitality and quality of our city and all of its neighborhoods. With this task force, it is my priority to remove barriers to inclusion and sustain long-term relationships with Renton’s diverse communities.”
Renton Technical College President Kevin McCarthy also released a statement in response to Trump’s executive order, saying that the order “could disrupt the lives of students, faculty and staff at RTC.”
“Members of our college community from these countries are likely to feel especially vulnerable, and others may feel so as well,” he continued. “And thus I write again to affirm that in these times of uncertainty, the college must value all of our members — students, staff, and faculty — from all walks of life, belief systems, origins, and identities. We are stronger because of the great diversity we are privileged to share and experience.”
For McCarthy’s full statement, click here.
