The City of Boulder hopes to change that.
Teaming up with the University of Colorado Boulder Law School, city officials will hold informational classes on immigration law this Saturday, July 29, for anyone with questions on the subject. Experts will be in attendance from 10 to 11:30 a.m. inside the City Council Chambers at 1777 Broadway to inform residents about several different topics. Free snacks and child-care services will be available.
“It’s no secret that our immigration system can be complicated,” says Ana Silvia Avendaño Curiel, racial equity policy advisor for the City of Boulder. “We hope that these sessions answer some of the most common questions that people may have on how to navigate their immigration process, so that people may feel empowered to continue making informed decisions.”
The Saturday event is the first in a series of informational sessions on immigration law that Boulder is looking to hold at least three times a year.
"Our goal is to connect immigrants in the Boulder area with more information," says city spokesperson Emily Sandoval. "This is definitely a reflection of the city's renewed commitment to racial equity."
City councilmembers passed a racial equity plan in early 2021 with a goal of "closing gaps, so race does not predict one’s success, while improving outcomes for all," according to the Boulder website. These informational sessions are being put on by the city's Office of Equity and Inclusion.
City councilmembers passed a racial equity plan in early 2021 with a goal of "closing gaps, so race does not predict one’s success, while improving outcomes for all," according to the Boulder website. These informational sessions are being put on by the city's Office of Equity and Inclusion.
"It's the city's charge now to really pay more attention to issues that affect people of color in our community, including immigrants," Sandoval says. "We're really making a concerted effort to serve those needs and respond to questions folks have."
Each informative session will have a main topic focused on common questions that the CU Law School gets from immigrants. Saturday's topic will be changing one's immigration status. An expert in immigration law will begin the day with a presentation on how to update immigration status through a family member.
"Say you have a citizen child who's turned eighteen, or you got married to an American citizen — there are ways to change your immigration status through a family member," Sandoval explains. "In partnership with the CU Law [School], we know that this is one of the areas of greatest interest to immigrants in our community. That's a question they get a lot. So we're hoping to provide more information about some of the intricacies of the legal system and how folks get those questions addressed."
Boulder city officials believe that dozens of immigrants in the community have questions such as this one and will attend the event, which will be a "Spanish first" presentation, according to Sandoval.
"All of the information will be presented in Spanish, and there will be interpretation into English for those who require that," she says. The event will also be recorded and uploaded to the city's YouTube page for those who are unable to attend.
Boulder hopes to host the next program in the series in the fall, but a date has not yet been set. A third iteration will also take place before the end of the year, but is still being planned. More information about future classes will be available on Saturday, Sandoval says.
While the program is geared toward the local immigrant community, it's technically open to anyone in Colorado who could benefit from it. However, Sandoval notes that many of the resources that will be promoted at the event are Boulder-specific.
"Our focus is local, but we are certainly opening the doors to anyone who wants to connect with our sources or could benefit," she says. "One of the challenges might be if we're connecting to resources that are specific to people who live in Boulder down the line."
Boulder's immigrants are "a small but very important part of our community and our economy," Sandoval says. The city has a population of about 330,000 people, and about 46,000 of them — or 14 percent — are Hispanic, according to U.S. Census data.
As many as 34,000 Boulder residents were born in another country, the U.S. Census estimates. Most of them are from Latin America and Asia.
"We have immigrants who primarily speak Spanish, coming from Mexico, Latin America and South America," Sandoval says. "We also have a fairly substantial South Asian community, including a Nepali community that's a sizable group."
Asians make up 4 percent of Boulder's population, with about 14,000 Boulderites identifying as such, according to the U.S. Census. CU Boulder also attracts many foreign-born students, who "come from all over," Sandoval says, especially for the school's math and science programs.
People interested in attending Saturday's event should be aware that this won't be a legal clinic, so they won't be able to get help with any actual casework. But they should still come with any questions they have, Sandoval says — and some friends.
"This isn't specific casework, so there isn't a need for people to bring their documents," she says. "But [they should] definitely come with their questions and bring other folks in their community who might also be interested. It's a very open event."
"This isn't specific casework, so there isn't a need for people to bring their documents," she says. "But [they should] definitely come with their questions and bring other folks in their community who might also be interested. It's a very open event."
