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Public commenter at joint quorum courts meeting urges amnesty and protections for immigrants
Summary
During the joint Washington-Benton quorum courts meeting, a public commenter accused local policies of sowing fear in immigrant communities, urged county leaders to oppose enforcement that separates families and called for an unconditional amnesty program.
During the public-comment portion of the joint Washington and Benton County quorum courts meeting, a Fayetteville-area commenter used her three minutes to urge the courts to consider the humanitarian impact of recent enforcement policies and to seek protections for undocumented residents.
The commenter, identified in the meeting record only as a member of the public, said "Many local families are now afraid. Afraid of law enforcement, afraid to do the very things like getting groceries and going to work." She asked elected officials to "protect our workers" and to call for state and federal action, including what she described as "an unconditional amnesty program for all undocumented people, protect our families, stop helping to export immigrants to detention facilities and reunite families as quickly as possible." The speaker also urged removal of masks by ICE agents and other measures to reduce what she described as racial profiling.
The remarks came during the public comment segment and were not followed by a county response or action; judges and justices present listened but did not take the forum into a question-and-answer exchange during that time. The speaker framed the appeal in historic terms and linked the issue to community values and conscience, concluding: "As a community, we must organize."
