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Delegates press county administrator on applying governor’s immigration executive order; council review of local ordinance pending
Summary
Delegates questioned County Administrator Michael Dutton about how the governor’s executive order on immigration enforcement will apply on Barnstable County property and whether a proposed local ordinance to limit cooperation with enforcement aligns with state guidance; county counsel is reviewing the interplay with the Protect Act and will circulate advice.
Delegates pressed County Administrator Michael Dutton on how the commissioners expect county staff to implement the governor’s executive order on immigration enforcement for county properties and whether the county will adopt additional local protections. The exchange followed Administrator Dutton’s report on commissioners’ actions at their recent meeting.
Delegate Gassen asked whether the commissioners intend to require county employees to apply the same restrictions that the governor applied to state properties to county properties. "Is it your understanding... that you're gonna direct county employees to essentially take all these requirements that apply to state property and apply them to county property?" Gassen asked. Administrator Dutton responded that the commissioners expect county administrators to adopt the same rules for county properties where applicable and described an initial implementation step: identifying which areas of county buildings are publicly accessible and which are private so they can be posted and treated appropriately.
Delegates also raised a proposed local ordinance that would add protections (non‑commandeering language, limits on discretionary cooperation by employees, protections for personal information, and reporting requirements for immigration enforcement activities). Clerk Fletcher and assembly counsel Tallerman said the county attorneys are reviewing how the Protect Act and the executive order interact with the proposed ordinance and will circulate their opinion. Tallerman noted the attorneys had initially focused on the Protect Act and would add the executive order to their review. "We're working on it... and our council... is working on that," Tallerman said.
Several delegates urged caution and asked that the council provide a fuller legal picture before the assembly acts. The assembly did not take a final vote on any ordinance at this meeting; attorneys will return guidance and the assembly will consider the ordinance in its normal legislative process.
