CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION reaffirming The City of Seattle's support of unbanked money transfer operators and the immigrant communities they serve.
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WHEREAS, the City Council passed Resolution 31578 to help support money transfer operators (MTOs); and
WHEREAS, though the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA), Office of Economic Development (OED), and Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) have made efforts to find a solution for unbanked MTOs, those efforts have not yet yielded a positive result; and
WHEREAS, a recent string of armed robberies on these unbanked MTOs (that store large amounts of cash in their premises) in Seattle and surrounding cities has turned this issue into a public safety concern; and
WHEREAS, East African immigrant communities in Seattle rely on these MTOs to send money to their loved ones abroad. For example, every year Somalia receives approximately $1.3 billion in remittances and more than 730,000 people in Somalia are dependent on financial assistance for survival. Funding from remittances accounts for basic needs including food, water, shelter and education. One in every five children in Somalia dies before their fifth birthday, and only 30 percent of the population has access to clean drinking water; and
WHEREAS, over the past few years, these MTOs have found it increasingly difficult to operate without a bank account. Many have shut down, and the ones that remain transport millions of dollars in cash through SeaTac Airport each month; and
WHEREAS, these MTOs provide culturally specific services; deliver money to remote regions not served by the large operators, including refugee camps in East Africa; provide good paying jobs; contribute to community activities; and are a valuable members of Seattle's small business community; and
WHEREAS, Seattle has one of the biggest East African communities in the United States - nearly 30,000 Ethiopians, Eritreans, and Somalis are Seattle res...
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