Immigrants Cut Short, Walk Out

Two dozen immigrant rights advocates walked out of a City Hall meeting in protest after an alder insisted that a testifier stay on topic — as a stream of advocacy for non-citizen voices in local government morphed into a debate over what residents are entitled to talk about at public hearings.

Over 50 people had gathered in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall Tuesday evening for a public hearing on proposed revisions to the city charter.

The meeting was the latest step in a once-in-a-decade process of editing New Haven’s founding document. Just over half of the alders showed up to Tuesday’s special meeting of the so-called Committee of the Whole to hear from members of the public on both a set of recommendations by the Charter Revision Commission and a number of proposed changes that alders themselves had submitted. 

One of those alder-submitted proposals would allow residents of New Haven who are not U.S. citizens to serve on city boards and commissions, such as the Board of Education and the City Plan Commission. Currently, only ​“electors” — people eligible to vote in New Haven — are permitted on those boards. Ultimately, voters will get to decide on this matter and many others related to, for example, four-year terms for mayors and alders, in November when one or multiple charter-revision questions make their way onto the ballot.

At least eight people testified in favor of allowing non-citizen immigrants to serve on boards and commissions on Tuesday night, including a handful of people affiliated with the immigrant and labor rights organization Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA). Each had three minutes to speak.

Two ULA members, Sara Montero and Juana Valle, read their full testimony in Spanish alongside an English interpreter. They said they had personal experience with being underpaid and facing an unresponsive landlord. Both testifiers concluded their remarks by urging alders to allow non-citizens to serve on Boards and Commissions in order to help city government better understand and respond to the unique challenges they have faced.

Valle said she had faced an eviction case from her landlord after complaining to the city about living conditions in her apartment. ​“Us as immigrants, we suffer from injustices, and that happens because we do not have representatives that change the laws fairly for us,” Valle said.

Afterwards, another ULA member, Carolina Sánchez, approached to testify. With the help of an interpreter, she began to speak about her experience working at a local restaurant, where she said one of the owners sexually harassed her. ​“I was not being paid over time. I was being abused,” she said. ​“I made a [police] report. They never did anything.”

At that, Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison, who chaired Tuesday’s meeting, interrupted. ​“Excuse me. I just want to make sure that we’re staying germane to the topics that I listed today for this hearing,” Morrison said. ​“Because it doesn’t sound like anything that’s being said has anything to do with the topics of charter revision.”

“I want to continue,” Sánchez said through the interpreter.

“OK, but if it’s not pertaining to what we’re talking about here, I’m gonna have to cut you off,” Morrison replied. Sánchez continued in Spanish for a moment longer before Morrison stopped her. ​“Your testimony is for what sounds like another meeting, not this meeting,” the alder said.

At that, ULA founder John Lugo interrupted, approaching the alders. ​“No, that’s not true, that’s not true,” he called.

“No, no, no, no, no, John, you will not do that here,” Morrison said. ​“This is my meeting.”

“This is related — ” Lugo began.

“This is my meeting,” repeated Morrison. ​“John, you can leave if you cannot control yourself.”

Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez spoke directly to Sánchez in Spanish, explaining that the meeting pertained to the city charter, including whether non-citizens could serve on boards and commission. It’s not that the testimony isn’t important, Rodriguez said — it’s just for another time.

“OK,” Sánchez said. She stood up to leave.

About 25 other ULA members and affiliates left the room with her. ​“We’re not going to participate anymore,” called Lugo.

The ULA members gathered in the hallway as the alder meeting continued, and Sánchez continued to tell her story. She clarified that she was planning to conclude her testimony with the notion ​“that we need people who can represent us” in city government.

“Each person wanted to tell their personal story,” Lugo said.

The meeting swiftly moved on after ULA members left. The remaining strands of dialogue about who should have the right to participate in certain aspects of local democracy unfolded in a far emptier room. A number of people who had signed up to testify after Sánchez were no longer present or willing to contribute their perspectives.

Mirka Dominguez, who works in case management at Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), remained to advocate for non-citizens’ ability to serve on local boards and commissions. She said that many immigrants work long hours and may be less like to have the time and energy to serve in local government, but ​“this is a choice they should still have.”

She argued at the end of her testimony that Sánchez should have been allowed to continue her testimony. ​“I think that shows a lot of the community was silenced.”

Outside, Lugo alleged that the alders had cut Sánchez off because Fair Haven/East Rock Alder Claudia Herrera, who was present at the meeting, had a personal connection to the owners of the restaurant whom Sánchez was accusing of death threats and sexual harassment, and had believed the owners when they professed their innocence. He did not trust the alders’ stated reasoning that Sánchez’ testimony was off-topic.

After the meeting, Herrera said that though she had friends who had been accused of sexual harassment under similar circumstances, she never knew the identity of the person who had made the accusations and had not discussed the situation with her colleagues. ​“I did not know who this woman was,” she said. ​“We come here for one reason,” she said: to hear out constituents, ​“immigrants or not immigrants. … The purpose of today is to learn.”

Morrison also said she had not known about any dispute between Sánchez and friends of Herrera’s. ​“I had no clue,” Morrison said. ​“She was more so talking about her personal traumas … My role is to make sure that we stay on topic.”

Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller noted, ​“one person’s germane is not another’s. There certainly is some gray area.”

Majority Leader Richard Furlow stood by Morrison’s decision to curtail Sánchez’ testimony alleging sexual harassment. ​“You can’t just go up and talk about anything” at a city meeting, he said, joking that someone might keep the alders until midnight testifying about ​“pancakes.”

Matos: Channel Immigrants' Courage & Grit

Among the other New Haveners to testify in support of non-citizen immigrants’ representation on commissions and boards was Kica Matos, a Fair Haven resident and president of the National Immigration Law Center.

Matos argued that ​“it would both benefit our city and strengthen our democracy” to allow all residents to serve on boards and commissions, whether or not they are eligible to vote. ​“They pay taxes and make economic contributions to our city. It is here that they have decided to call home,” she said.

Matos noted that a handful of other cities in the country have similarly allowed non-citizens to serve on public committees, including San Franscisco, Santa Ana, Hayward, and Chula Vista in California as well as Boulder, Colorado.

Fair Haven Alder Ernie Santiago asked Matos if there are other requirements for individuals to serve on committees in the cities she mentioned. ​“A high school degree?” he asked.

“It varies,” Matos said. ​“In Boulder, all the charter says is you have to be 18 years or older.”

“Given your national perspective, if you could speak to what it looks like when these policies are enacted,” prompted Miller.

For the communities who now have access to city boards, Matos said, ​“it has given them a sense of belonging.” She added, ​“More importantly, from the city’s perspective, you have an entire new population who can contribute their expertise, their experiences, their knowledge. I know sometimes it is hard to find people to serve on these committees.”

Later, Matos elaborated. ​“It takes a lot of chutzpah, courage, creativity, and sheer grit to figure out how you’re going to overcome all of these barriers” and succeed as a non-citizen in the United States. ​“Imagine if we were able to create opportunities for these entrepreneurs to share some of their skill sets in the city?”