Fairbanks Assembly urges congressional delegation to seek release of detained resident

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly voted 7-2 on Sept. 25 to urge Alaska's congressional delegation to "use all available means to advocate for the release of Acharya Buntau from detention pending resolution of her immigration status," sponsors said. Supporters said Buntau, a longtime Fairbanks resident and local business operator, has been held in out-of-state detention and that her family and six children are suffering hardship.

Supporters at the meeting described the detention as traumatic for the family and the community. Thomas Bockert, introduced himself as a longtime Fairbanks resident and told the Assembly he had contacted the congressional delegation but had received no substantive response. "This resolution basically directs our federal congressional delegation to protect and advocate for a long-term Fairbanks resident to be treated fairly and humanely by an overzealous federal immigration enforcement agency," he said during public comment.

Amelia McCarthy, speaking for the University of Alaska graduate workers represented by UAW Local 197, said many members of her unit are on visas and that the detention of a local resident increased fear among international workers. "Our union is thrilled to see the Fairbanks Assembly use their voice to urge our federal delegation to protect us all," she said.

Opponents raised questions about legal consequences and whether the detained resident had previously misrepresented citizenship status on state paperwork. Eric Crook noted press reporting that the individual had been in the U.S. decades but had not completed immigration steps until recently, saying "after 3 decades of ignoring the law, filling the paperwork out only when detention was imminent does not demonstrate respect for the system." The Assembly and several speakers also discussed a 2015 Public Dividend Fund (PFD) application that prompted questions about status; the resolution does not make a legal finding about those allegations.

The resolution requests that members of Congress intercede so the detained resident may return to Fairbanks while her immigration case proceeds, allowing her family access and legal counsel locally. Sponsors and several supporters clarified the measure asks for humanitarian consideration and for procedural fairness rather than an immediate change in federal law.

The motion to adopt passed on a roll-call vote, 7 in favor and 2 opposed. The Assembly recorded extensive public testimony for and against the measure during the citizen comment period prior to the vote. The resolution asks that the clerk distribute the text to the Alaska congressional delegation and other officials. The Assembly also considered and rejected a motion to immediately reconsider the passage.