The United States of America is a country of immigrants.
From 1565 when the first Spanish settlements were established in St. Augustine, Florida, to those seeking asylum fleeing unbearable living conditions or looking for a better life in the 21st Century, immigrants face significant challenges.
The Doylestown Borough Human Relations Commission (HRC) will host an immigration panel and forum Feb. 26 to explore the significant obstacles immigrants face in a new country and community.
“The focus of the forum is to provide a platform for the panelists to convey a sense of what the experience of being an immigrant in the Doylestown-Bucks County area is like,” said Fred Stanczak, chairman of the Doylestown Borough Human Relations Commission.
The in-person only event will be held inside Doylestown Borough Hall at 7 p.m., February 26. Danny Thomas, executive director of The Peace Center, Inc., will facilitate and emcee the event.
READ: Central Bucks Community Grapples with the Specter of ICE Raids at Local Schools
“Despite the [current] timing, the immigration topic was selected a year ago. The hope is to foster a better understanding of who our local immigrant community is, what challenges they face and how we can be more welcoming and understanding as a community,” said John Davis, Doylestown borough manager.
Panelists include Heidi Roux, director of Immigrant Rights Action; Kathy Hoffman, an ESL teacher at Council Rock North High School; Lydia Winderman of the League of Women Voters and Kris Thompson, COO of the Lenape Valley Foundation. Doylestown Area FISH will also participate.
Since taking office January 20, Donald Trump has carried out mass deportation schemes to remove undocumented immigrants from the U.S., including opening up former “sensitive areas” such as schools, churches, and hospitals to potential ICE raids and interventions.
Statista.com reported since the inauguration to February 5 “…a total of 4,745 Latin American undocumented immigrants were returned to their countries of origin.”
Stanczak said promoting greater understanding about diversity of various immigrant groups, and their greater community contributions, is among the forum’s goals.
“That is why we tried to bring in panelists who work and interact with immigrant communities in the fields of education and medicine and in providing legal and social support,” Stanczak said.
He said the forum’s focus has not changed since the November presidential election results.
“I do believe that the implementation of the current policies of mass deportation creates a greater need for an increased awareness and understanding of the mosaic of immigrant communities. We hope that the forum will foster a more nuanced and genuine understanding of our immigrant neighbors,” Stanczak explained.
If you go:
What: Immigration Forum hosted by the Doylestown Borough Human Relations Commission
When: 7 p.m., Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Where: Doylestown Borough Hall, 10 Doyle Avenue, Doylestown
Open to the public, all are welcome. This event is in-person only and will not be available on virtual platforms or services.
