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Attorney tells Leavenworth council a municipal welcoming resolution can reassure immigrant residents amid heightened enforcement
Summary
An immigration attorney told the Leavenworth City Council that a formal welcoming resolution would signal community support to immigrant residents and could ease pervasive fear resulting from recent federal enforcement. Councilmembers asked clarifying questions and agreed to return a revised draft for future consideration.
Bethany Eichler, an attorney with the Northwest Immigration Project, told the Leavenworth City Council on April 8 that a local welcoming resolution could reduce fear among immigrant residents and encourage civic participation.
“People are afraid,” Eichler said, describing reports from clients, school staff and employers that immigrants are skipping school or avoiding public places because they fear immigration enforcement. She said the organization has increased requests for “know-your-rights” presentations and that turnout at public events has fallen as community members avoid gatherings.
Eichler outlined three questions she said council members had raised previously: why a city should adopt a resolution now, what such a resolution accomplishes beyond informal support, and whether declaring a welcoming stance could expose residents to increased federal enforcement. She said federal enforcement priorities are set at the national level and that, in her experience, jurisdictions have not been targeted for adopting welcoming policies.
Councilmembers and members of the public asked about local experience with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) activity, the process for creating a local policy and whether schools should be engaged first. One council member said a welcoming resolution should not create “false hope” of legal protection but could set civic tone and encourage schools and employers to act more inclusively.
After the discussion the mayor said staff would circulate a revised resolution for comment and bring it back to council. The mayor also said the council would take public input, including an anonymous survey, before finalizing language.
The council did not take a formal vote on a resolution at the April 8 meeting.
