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Council refers resolution on cooperation with ICE to committee after public opposition
Summary
Public commenters warned that cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would harm community trust and public safety. The council accepted a motion to send the item (Resolution 70) to the Development and Government Relations committee for further review.
Public commenters at Tuesday—s Holyoke City Council meeting urged the council not to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying such cooperation would deter immigrant communities from calling police or seeking city services.
Elizabeth Gersanti (recorded as Elizabeth Coretti Ramirez in the sign-in) told the council that cooperating with ICE would have a —profit motive— in detention and deportation and would —have blood on our hands,— adding that immigrants who fear enforcement stop reporting crimes, sending children to school and seeking medical care. Mimi Panitch, Spencer Fox Peterson, JR Rivera and others echoed concerns that police cooperation with ICE would erode community trust and public safety.
On the council agenda, item 70 was a resolution filed by councilors and read into the record seeking certain cooperation or guidance regarding ICE and local processes. After public comment, councilors moved to refer the resolution to the Development and Government Relations (DGR) committee for further review; the motion was seconded and carried, and the record shows the item will undergo committee consideration.
Ending: The council did not take final action on the resolution; instead it referred item 70 to the DGR committee. Public speakers asked the council to consider the public-safety and civil-rights consequences of any cooperation or policy changes affecting immigrants.
