Local impact of immigration still unknown
Area leaders can't make effective decisions without research

The words "responsible dialogue" and "immigration" have rarely been connected in the same sentence, but new census figures released last week should be the impetus for meaningful discussion.

According to the census, Fort Collins experienced a 51 percent jump in the number of foreign-born immigrants from 2000 to 2006 - from 6,269 to 9,466. Larimer County saw a similar spike with a 46 percent increase from 10,709 to 15,656 in the same time period. The poverty rate among foreign-born immigrants also has increased.


Note that the report refers only to foreign-born immigrants because the U.S. Census Bureau does not ask noncitizens about their immigration status. Nor do Larimer County or the city of Fort Collins track ethnic and racial makeup of the immigrant population.

While information is usually power, the lack of specifics may actually foster the dialogue here. Why? Because it is the entire U.S. immigration system that needs to be addressed - not just illegal immigration, and not just illegal immigration from Mexico.

Succumbing to emotion and politics and lacking leadership, Congress and the president have failed to bring forth any significant reform to the system. City, county and state elected officials have limited scope in addressing immigration policy; rather, they are often left to react.

Still, local leaders, including Mayor Doug Hutchinson and state Rep. John Kefalas, among others, are trying to understand just how local and state government should respond.

A solid first step would be to study the impact of all immigration on our community, including employment needs, crime, social services - including health care, education and the environment. Colorado State University, with its emphasis on global education and opportunities for foreign-born students, should take a leadership role in studying these factors. We must know the impacts in relation to available resources to make informed decisions rather than rely on conjecture and rhetoric tinged by racism and political agendas.

Effective leaders also will recognize that insights about the human condition have to be considered. Fort Collins is a compassionate, caring community. Its claim to inclusiveness and diversity has to be weighed in conjunction with this information.

Fort Collins and Larimer County don't have the ability to rewrite U.S. immigration policy, but they do have access to top researchers and charitable hearts to respond in an informed and benevolent manner to a burgeoning problem

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