Residents urge stronger promotion of International Festival and raise immigrant-safety concerns during public comment

During public comment at the May 20 meeting, two residents delivered personal appeals to the council.

Mary Kamara Hagemeyer, who identified herself as a Holland resident and Miss Great Lakes Bay, thanked the council and urged continued support and stronger marketing for the International Festival of Holland, saying the event brings cultural exchange through food, music, art and dance and can draw visitors from outside the city if better promoted.

Hagemeyer noted the festival’s potential to connect communities and praised existing multilingual materials: "I know that we have translated our pamphlets into Mandarin, into, of course, Dutch and other languages," she said, urging the council to ensure the event is "well funded enough to market itself so that more and more people can find out and come to this festival."

Katie Kuja, a Holland resident, spoke about immigrant families living in fear of immigration enforcement and the daily impacts she said that fear produces, including lost work. She described relatives and neighbors who "are scared to leave their houses out of the fear that they will be picked up and deported by ICE" and asked what elected officials will do to protect those neighbors.

The mayor closed public comment after these remarks and thanked speakers; staff did not offer responses during the public-comment period but the mayor noted staff may follow up after the meeting if questions can be addressed.