New report part of Santa Fe's push to provide more economic mobility to migrants
Nov. 15—A new report says migrants made up more than 1 in 7 people working in Santa Fe County in 2019, and people in those communities say they want their contributions to be known as they build lives in the area.
"Santa Fe is our home, and, as such, we want to feel valued for all that we bring to this community," Gretel Barrita said in Spanish at a news conference at Santa Fe City Hall about a report released by pro-immigrant groups Wednesday. An interpreter relayed her comments in English.
"I come here representing workers who feel that we live in the shadows and who need a clear path to be able to progress and help our city to continue growing economically," said Barrita, who has worked in the restaurant industry in Santa Fe for 14 years and is a member of the immigrant justice group Somos Un Pueblo Unido.
The American Immigration Council, a national immigrant advocacy organization, produced the report, which presents statistics about immigrants' contributions to Santa Fe County, in partnership with the city of Santa Fe and Somos.
Work to produce the report was funded by a matching grant the city applied for and received in January. The American Immigration Council and another national nonprofit called Welcoming America jointly manage the grant program, which provides cities with one year of assistance in researching and strategizing how to better integrate immigrants across sectors of the economy. The city and Somos both contributed $7,500 to the effort, matched by $15,000 from the council and Welcoming America.
A group of community, education and business representatives will continue work on another report, coming in the next few months, with recommendations on how the city can update its Economic Development Strategic Plan to improve opportunities for immigrant workers.
Santa Fe has a "long record" of adopting policies that support immigrants and their families, Zulema Chavero, a community organizer with Somos, said at Wednesday's news conference. Somos, a statewide nonprofit with offices here, has worked closely with Santa Fe since it became a "sanctuary city" in 1999, banning discrimination based on national origin and barring police from arresting people solely based on immigration status.
According to the report, 16,600 immigrants lived in Santa Fe County in 2019, mostly from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, making up 11% of the county's population. The vast majority of immigrants, 93%, had lived in the United States for more than five years. About 6,900 of those immigrants, or almost 42%, were undocumented, and about one-quarter, or 4,400 people, had limited English proficiency.
Immigrants also make up a disproportionate percentage of the county's labor force, the report found, especially in the construction and hospitality industries but also across a wide range of fields.
The city has been excited to see an uptick in entrepreneurship among immigrants, who according to the report make up 15% of business owners in the county, said city Community Development Director Rich Brown.
That said, challenges remain for immigrant workers, including the city's high cost of living, Barrita said. Many work two jobs and struggle to find housing, transportation and professional child care. Others face language barriers, poor working conditions or discrimination that prevents them from reaching management positions.
The report tells the stories of two immigrant workers in Santa Fe, Iris Madely Alay and Verónica Velásquez, who joined Somos after facing wage theft and workers' rights violations at a hotel and a restaurant, respectively. Velásquez estimated she worked for about $3.78 per hour — and won back pay after Somos helped workers file a formal complaint.
"Knowing Santa Fe is a sanctuary city, I feel more protected, but it is expensive to live here and I have to work two jobs," Velásquez said in a news release Wednesday. "In Santa Fe I feel welcome. It would be good if there were more opportunities for economic mobility for us immigrants."
