Binghamton City Councilman Conrad Taylor was joined by Broome County Legislator Mary Kaminsky to announce the proposal of a Welcoming Cities Resolution into the City Council.
The legislation would formally declare Binghamton as a city that actively welcomes immigrants and refugees, along with affirming the belief that people should not be forbidden to enter our country because of race, ethnicity or religious beliefs.
The bill was put forth at a press conference outside the American Civic Association on Front Street, the same location as the infamous 2009 massacre in which 13 people were killed by an anti-immigrant gunman.
“Now that those immigrants are from a different part of the world and from a different religion, our government chooses fear; they choose xenophobia and cowardice instead of the values that once defined our country,” said Taylor, a junior majoring in political science.
According to Taylor, 10 percent of residents of the city of Binghamton are foreign-born. He said that immigrants make up a large and important segment of the local population.
“Binghamton — just like the rest of our country — was founded by immigrants,” Taylor said.
It is unclear whether the resolution will gain support from the Republican-led Binghamton City Council.
“When local leaders are silent, when we do not stand up to policies like this,” Taylor said. “That is a punch in the gut to those residents.”
Kaminsky cited the recent bomb threat at the Binghamton Jewish Community Center as proof of the changing climate created by policies like the refugee ban.
“This temporary pause — or should I say ban, as it really is — has already had a huge effect,” Kaminsky said.
Kaminsky said that the United States has always been welcoming to refugees and that we should not turn our backs on the international community out of fear.
“This was the opportunity given to my ancestors and is why I am here today,” Kaminsky said.
The text of the resolution contains several statements that provide reasons for supporting refugee resettlement in the Binghamton area.
“WHEREAS Binghamton is proud of its immigrant communities, including Vietnamese, Laotian, Kurdish, Bosnian, Somali, Sudanese, Burmese, Cuban, Iraqi, Iranian, Ukrainian and other communities, made up of all religions and many of whom arrived here under the status of refugee,” reads the resolution.
Goretti Mugambwa is a refugee resettlement case manager at the American Civic Association. She told a story about a man who was scheduled to come to Binghamton as a refugee after much of his family died in Iraq. She said his flight was canceled just before leaving due to President Donald Trump’s executive order and he has not yet been able to enter the United States.
“This resolution would be so welcomed,” Mugambwa said. “Refugees will feel safe and we can feel safe ensuring to refugees that this is a welcoming community.”
American Civic Association representatives said Binghamton receives about 50 refugees per year, with two to four years of vetting. However, no Syrian refugees have been cleared to come to the Binghamton area.
Concluding her comment, Kaminsky emphasized her and her colleagues’ continued support for refugees who wish to settle in the area.
“I want to be perfectly clear — Broome County welcomes refugees,” Kaminsky said.
Taylor encourages anyone who supports the legislation to come to Wednesday’s City Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. to show their support.