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Councilor seeks revisions to Newton's 'welcoming city' ordinance; ACLU language to be reviewed by city solicitor
Summary
Councilor Albright told the committee she has consulted the ACLU and plans to redocket proposed edits to the city's welcoming ordinance — including removing a sentence that mentions 'terrorism' and updating language affected by the Lund decision and federal law — and asked the law department to review suggested language.
Councilor Albright told the committee she has been working with the ACLU on suggested revisions to Newton's welcoming city ordinance and will bring preliminary language to the law department for analysis.
Albright said the ACLU recommended removing a sentence in section 203 that references "terrorism," revisiting whether the city should participate in 287(g) agreements, and deleting or updating language that federal law or court rulings (which she referenced as the Lund decision) have overturned. She cited a statutory reference in the transcript that was not fully clear on its face and asked for solicitor review.
City Solicitor Ali Giuliani said he stands ready to analyze draft language when provided and reiterated the law department's role in ensuring the ordinance's text complies with federal and state legal constraints. The committee did not vote on ordinance changes at the meeting; the matter will return for further legal review.
