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Council honors immigrant and refugee communities as city highlights language‑access work
Summary
Council passed a resolution recognizing Immigrant Heritage Month and World Refugee Day and heard from a former refugee and the city’s Office of Language Services about outreach and interpretation services.
Lancaster City Council on June 10 adopted a resolution recognizing June as Immigrant Heritage Month and June 20 as World Refugee Day, and heard public testimony and a staff update on the city’s language‑access services.
Councilor Ahmed introduced the resolution and noted concerns about federal changes affecting refugee programs and Temporary Protected Status. Resident and former refugee Ramucho Carchese told council, “Some refugees and immigrant communities are feeling scared and worried for what is happening right now,” and urged elected officials to affirm that refugees and immigrants are welcome in Lancaster.
The council also heard from the Office of Language Services. Rameshia, who leads the office, described services the city has implemented: an on‑demand phone and video interpretation platform (Propio 1), staff training, a centralized internal request procedure and an intranet hub for city employees. In 2024, Rameshia reported, “Propio received 777 calls throughout the year 2024, serving residents in 23 different languages,” and the office completed more than 10,000 words of in‑house Spanish translations for flyers and communications.
Councilors thanked speakers and affirmed the city’s commitment to being welcoming. The resolution passed by roll call.
