Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Legislative News and Views - Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL)

Back to profile

Local leaders opposed federal government’s plan for Immigration Services office, happy to see it reversed

Thursday, July 3, 2014

St Paul – This week, the federal government’s General Services Administration announced a plan to keep vital immigration services in place, rather than moving them away from their current location and mass transit. Rep. Raymond Dehn (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Karen Clark (DFL – Minneapolis), and Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL – Minneapolis) worked with Congressmen Keith Ellison and other local leaders to voice their opposition to the move, sending letters to US Citizen and Immigration Services late last month.

“There a lot of issues where federal and state officials don’t really need to interact,” said Dehn. “In this instance, it was important that we work together to let them know how much this could impact people in our area.”

“Moving the office to a new location would have meant placing an undue burden on our new American immigrants that are dealing with tremendous challenges and heartbreaking circumstances already,” said Rep. Karen Clark. “The least we can do is to ensure the office is accessible by public transportation.”

“I’m glad to see the federal government change their position,” said Rep. Phyllis Kahn. “The original plan was only put in place due to a simple mistake in the assessment of transportation options. The fact that we were able to get it changed says a lot about the impact we can have when standing united on an issue.”

###