FINDLAY, OH (WLIO) - The Findlay city government is working with community partners to make sure Findlay is equipped to handle an increase in immigration.
Over the past few years, many have noticed more immigrants settling down to work or live in Findlay. Officials estimate there could be as many as 300-500 in the community. In response, Mayor Christina Muryn has formed an Immigration Task Force made up of about 60 local stakeholders.
"Non-profits, landlords, some business organizations, law enforcement, a number of different folks who have interacted with the immigrant population," Muryn explained. "And it was kind of a, 'Okay, what are the challenges you're seeing? What does success look like? What are some key first steps that we can take to help solve the challenges that we're seeing?'"
The task force has several smaller teams that will focus on individual concerns, such as researching how to prepare for the potential issues that could be caused by the increase of new residents and how to help acclimate them to local culture.
"The key challenges we're seeing is obviously language barriers, so we're setting up a number of programs for folks to be able to learn English, regardless of what their native language is, as well as then helping folks find housing, transportation," she said.
The immigrant population could continue to grow over the next few years, so the city of Findlay is committed to both fair treatment for those who do move to the area and ensuring that they are following the law.
"I think it's really important for folks to recognize that the city is not bussing people in, we're not a sanctuary city, this isn't some grand scheme by the Biden administration. These are folks that are largely here legally, that have come to make a better life for themselves and are here to work, have the proper documentation. In the event that we come across someone who is not documented properly, we are notifying ICE and if it was warranted we would detain them. Fortunately, that hasn't happened," Muryn said.
If you are interested in getting involved with the Immigration Task Force, you can email mayor@findlayohio.gov to learn more.
