MN:Anti-immigration group challenges Welcome Center's goal
Anti-immigration group challenges Welcome Center's goal
1/21/2008 10:49:16 AM
By Karen Colbenson
Post-Bulletin, Austin MN
Liliana Silvestry, executive director of Austin's Welcome Center, said she has nothing to hide from the members of the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction, who are forming plans to visit the center to discuss its operations.
It won't be the group's first visit to the center, according to member Dean Dykeman, who said that during the previous visit, the group asked several questions about the motives of the center.
"I'm open to everybody," said Silvestry. "We are an open book. We don't have anything to cover."
The Welcome Center, founded in 2000, provides programs and services to newcomers that promote self-sufficiency and multicultural understanding among the increasingly diverse population in the area.
According to Silvestry, about 6 percent of the Welcome Center's $256,000 annual budget comes from the city. The rest is funded mostly through grants and donations.
However, many MCFIR members said they believe the Welcome Center is a "placement agency" for illegal immigrants that is "funded by the taxpayers of Austin."
Paul Westrum, founder of MCFIR, suggested at the group's monthly meeting Tuesday that some members meet with Silvestry to discuss operations, including the center's funding formula.
The suggestion was made after a heated discussion between Austin resident Ralph Peters and MCFIR member Bob King regarding the group's local actions to counter illegal immigration.
"What is this group going to do about this issue?" asked Peters. "You sit in these meetings and talk about taking on more and more issues. ... Talking is a passive activity. Is this group going to do anything active?"
King responded by listing the actions the group has taken in Austin, including meeting with Mayor Tom Stiehm, Austin Police Department and the Mower County Sheriff's Department.
Silvestry said she believes the best way to clear up misunderstandings between differing groups is through communication.
"Why should I not welcome them back?" said Silvestry. "There's nothing to hide. We're not afraid of them.
"The reality is the immigration issue is not my issue," said Silvestry. "My issue is to accommodate people that come to this community. They came to work, have a house, some security ... all the little things that matter for the well-being of their families. We have an aging community and those positions are being filled with those coming here. I'd rather keep the businesses in the United States than see them close here and move to another country."
http://www.postbulletin.com:80/newsmana ... 8&a=324455
