Dexter Township Offers Second Community Conversation on Immigration

“These are the people that are fixing your roofs and cleaning your houses and working in the back of restaurants.”

Dexter Township will host a second public conversation focused on immigration on Thursday, July 31 at 6:00 p.m. at Township Hall, 6880 Dexter-Pinckney Road. The event, “Let’s Talk About Immigration: Part 2,” follows an earlier gathering in June and will focus more deeply on community questions and dialogue.

The panel includes local advocates who have spent years working with immigrant communities in Washtenaw County. Included are Dexter Township Trustee Laura Sanders, a member of the Movement for Immigrant Rights Action (MIRA); Ramiro Martinez, MIRA co-founder; and Mary Anne Perrone, an advocate affiliated with MIRA and the Washtenaw County Sanctuary coalition. A representative from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) will also be present.

According to panelist Laura Sanders, organizers are shifting the format to create more space for open conversation. There will be “less presentation and more focus on responding to community comments and questions about immigration issues.”  

Advocates say national headlines often fail to capture how immigration policy plays out in places like Dexter or other areas in rural Washtenaw County. Sanders mentioned at the June meeting, “The police are not always aware that if they give a ticket to this person for this reason, that person is going to end up deported, and a whole family is going to be spoiled. So those local policies are critical.”

From helping undocumented residents navigate deportation proceedings to offering guidance on civil rights, these advocates bring expertise and perspective that span legal, emotional, and community-based advocacy. Attendees can expect discussion around myths and facts about immigration, how enforcement impacts local families, and ways to offer support.

There is a lot of misunderstanding, and often fear, around immigration but, “People just really want to be here and work,” said Sanders. “These are the people that are fixing your roofs and cleaning your houses and working in the back of restaurants. Many, many of those people are undocumented, so what we can really do is acknowledge their contributions and value them as human beings, as people, and help. We can learn from these experiences and have it make a difference when we’re voting.”

The event is open to everyone and organizers emphasize that it’s meant to be a welcoming and respectful space for learning, listening, and asking questions.

No registration is required, and the event is free to attend.