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Public urges Cambridge council to tighten 'welcoming community' ordinance to limit local assistance to ICE; council pauses for review
Summary
Dozens of public commenters urged the Cambridge City Council to amend the city’s welcoming community ordinance to bar police and other city employees from assisting federal immigration enforcement; city leaders discussed the proposal but deferred further action so stakeholders can review language.
Dozens of Cambridge residents called on the City Council on June 2 to strengthen the city’s welcoming community ordinance by removing language they say allows local police to provide operational support — such as traffic or crowd control — during federal immigration enforcement actions.
Public comments clustered around a single request: remove a clause that permits Cambridge employees to provide "support services" that could be interpreted to include traffic perimeter or crowd-control assistance during a federal operation. Speakers described recent high-profile ICE actions in other Massachusetts cities and nationwide and said they fear local cooperation could enable deportations that violate due process. Several called the proposed amendment "closing a loophole" in the existing ordinance.
What speakers said David…
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