Standing Up for Immigrants and Workers
D3 and Austin is full of hard-working immigrants who contribute to the city as both tax-payers and also as the fabric for our growing community. As an immigrant herself who has navigated complicated bureaucracy and struggled to identify community resources, Neha wants dignity and stability for all immigrants.
Strongest possible limits on APD's cooperation with ICE within what Texas law allows. Neha is aware that Austin rolled back its own protections under state pressure; but that retreat had consequences on vulnerable communities. This also impacts faith in public safety and government institutions.
Restore and expand Austin's investment in immigrant legal services. It is problematic that the city cut its own budget for these programs by 10% in March 2026 in spite of its own Commission on Immigrant Affairs unanimously called for restoration.
Build city rapid response team that activates the moment a mass layoff notice is filed. This will allow connecting displaced workers to retraining programs, rental assistance, and healthcare options during their notice period, potentially preventing a layoff from becoming a missed rent payment that leads to a family losing their home or leaving Austin.
Incentivize companies negotiating and receiving city tax breaks or economic incentives to give workers more notice before layoffs than federal law requires, and set aside money to help those workers recover from job loss. Each layoff from companies that originally promised jobs in-return for tax incentives destabilizes workers and neighborhoods that make this city worth investing in.