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Residents urge Portsmouth City Council and police to refuse cooperation with ICE
Summary
Speakers at public comment asked the council and police to commit publicly not to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, citing pending New Hampshire legislation and concerns about due process.
Two Portsmouth residents used the public-comment period on April 21 to urge the council and police not to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to prepare a public statement declining cooperation unless federal practices change.
Sarah Cornell, a homeowner at 275 Thornton Street, referenced New Hampshire House Bill 511 and said companion Senate bills (identified in her remarks as Senate “71 and 62”) could require municipalities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. "I am here today to ask the city council, the police department, and the people of Portsmouth to refuse to cooperate with ICE," Cornell said, and she urged a recommitment to due process and equal protection.
Kendra Ford, a resident and Unitarian Universalist minister who works with the climate organization 350 New Hampshire, also addressed the council and recounted national cases she said show that people with legal status have been detained. "To cooperate with ICE is to say that we agree that anyone can be detained and potentially deported," Ford said, urging the city to refuse active or passive aid to ICE operations.
What was asked and what followed
Speakers asked the council and the Portsmouth Police Department to prepare a public statement declining cooperation with ICE until the federal government demonstrates it will not violate human rights or due process. The council did not record any motion, referral, or vote on the request during the meeting; the comments were made in the public-comment period and will be part of the record.
Authorities and legislative references
Speakers referenced New Hampshire House Bill 511 and two Senate bills by number; they also appealed to constitutional principles of due process. The council did not reference any formal legal opinion or policy change during the meeting.
