Primary Department: Commissioner, Precinct 1
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Rodney Ellis
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Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Discussion Item
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Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request for discussion and possible action to establish the Harris County Immigrant and Refugee Commission and adopt its bylaws.
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Background and Discussion:
Harris County is home to over 1.3 million immigrants, representing 26% of the county's estimated 5,009,302 residents. Regional estimates indicate that tens of thousands of these residents are refugees. One in two children in Harris County has at least one immigrant parent, with 82% of these children born in the United States. Immigrant workers comprise 809,000 people, or 33% of Harris County's total labor force, and immigrant-led households contributed $19.3 billion in combined state and local taxes and $38.8 billion in federal taxes in 2023. Harris County experienced the nation's fastest population growth from 2023 to 2024, adding 105,852 new residents, with recent analyses finding that this growth is significantly attributable to international immigration.
Given Harris County's large and growing immigrant and refugee population, establishing a Harris County Immigrant and Refugee Commission would advance countywide immigrant inclusion and provide structured advisory capacity to county leadership.
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County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Object...
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