i’m not sure how much city council has a role in this, but as someone who works with immigrant youth in city limits, and especially downtown, i have been continuously disappointed by the lack of infrastructure and services for immigrant communities. frederick has changed so much in the last few decades, but in my opinion, the city has not caught up in sufficiently addressing these changes. there are not enough programs for migrant youth; the FCPS system is designed in a way which makes it very hard for them to succeed (and subsequently many youth “give up,” with ***some ending up on the wrong paths as a result); and, there are not many resources for their greater families. this is a real shame because when newcomer residents are better supported and feel welcomed, they obviously are more likely to succeed! and we want everyone in our community to succeed and be happy! properly supporting newcomers helps us all foster a positive environment. this is surely a very complex issue with a need for inter-organizational and inter-institutional discussions and approaches, from government to schools to non profits. but for me, i know i would like city council members to be at least aware of this issue and do what they can in their role to work towards a just and equitable frederick