Las Cruces City Council Supports US Resettlement of Afghan Refugees; Begins the reassignment process

Las Cruces City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of US resettlement of Afghan refugees and voted to set up an ad hoc citizen committee to provide public contributions to the redistribution of the city on Tuesday.

Afghan refugees seeking resettlement in the United States now have the full support of Las Cruces City Council after a unanimous decision to welcome those fleeing the violence in Afghanistan.

Councilor Gabe Vasquez cited the proximity to Fort Bliss – where many refugees temporarily live after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan – as one reason the city should prepare to take in refugees in the Las Cruces community.

“I think this is an important statement at a time when we can actually see the influx of refugees into our own community here for extensive or permanent relocation,” said Vasquez. “In the Doña Ana district, within the Fort Bliss Complex, refugees are currently being cared for. These are people who gave their lives in many ways to save American life, and I think we owe it to them to do that favor. “

According to the UN Refugee Agency, around 2.6 million Afghans are currently living as refugees worldwide. Kyle Reinert, a local immigration attorney, says thousands of Afghan refugees will pass through Holloman Air Force Base in the next few months.

“We hope to be very committed at Holloman Air Force Base, where we understand that around 5,000 refugees will likely be settled in the coming months,” said Reinert. “As things stand at the moment, we don’t expect too many to relocate to this particular area, but we would like to do our best to help everyone deal with it.”

Mayor Ken Miyagishima expressed his full support for resettlement in Afghanistan and stressed the need to repay the men and women who have helped the US military.

“They gave up the comfort of their home for something they believe in and to make sure the US soldiers know how to communicate,” Miyagishima said. “This is really something that I also support. And I wish you all the best in your new life in America. “

The council also approved the establishment of an ad hoc committee for citizens to make public contributions to urban redistribution. Assistant City Attorney Robert Cabello says the new redistribution efforts will better reflect population growth reported in the most recent U.S. census.

“The population of this city has grown by about 14% since 2010, 97,000 to about 111,000, so it’s time for relocation,” said Cabello. “We’re going to be using some kind of existing contract between Research and Polling Inc. of Albuquerque. You’re doing the redistribution for Albuquerque. In 2010 you also carried out the redistribution for the city. “

Each city council has the option to elect a committee member from their district, while the mayor elects a person from across the city. The committee will work with Research and Polling Inc. to review the need for redistribution within the city.

Councilor Yvonne Flores hopes the selected committee members are representative of the diverse population of Las Cruces.

“There may be people in our city who feel or believe that they don’t have the resources to sit on a redistribution committee. But that’s exactly what we need, ”said Flores. “I would hate to see any kind of gerrymandering or gimmick of that kind. I just don’t expect it, not in our city, but then you never know. “

Mayor Ken Miyagishima says the redistribution process should be pretty straightforward but need to take into account the faster growing districts.

“I think it really is that simple. So there are 111,000 people divided by six, that’s 18,500, ”Miyagishima said. “The challenge we’ve had a couple of times is that districts five and six grow the fastest. To keep this 18,500, the others, one to four, have to get a little bigger. “