At a time when the federal government appears primed to crack down on sanctuary cities, one community in western Massachusetts is re-affirming its commitment to being a city welcoming to all, regardless of one's immigration status.
“These are important questions - we have an ordinance, we will follow it,” said Easthampton City Council Vice President James Kwiecinski during Wednesday’s council meeting.
Kwiecinski called on residents to "ponder" what it means to be a "Welcoming City" that night - after reading aloud a re-affirmation of the city's special ordinance adopted five years ago.
With both Council President Salem Derby and Mayor Nicole LaChapelle out of town at the time, Kwiecinski was both acting head of the council and acting mayor during the meeting carried by Easthampton Media.
As first reported by the Daily Hampshire Gazette, ahead of the meeting, LaChapelle submitted a memorandum to the council reaffirming the city remains steadfast in its quote "commitment to protecting the rights, safety, and dignity of all Easthampton residents and employees, especially newcomers, immigrant families, and unfairly targeted communities."
“Under this ordinance, no part of our city government, including police, can be federalized,” Kwiecinski said, reading LaChapelle’s memo aloud. “These commitments are embedded in a citywide policy that and codes of conduct. The Easthampton Police Department policy and training protocols - both attached to this memo - specifically address the non-federalization of local police.”
The “Welcoming Community Trust Ordinance” was intended to “promote trust and safety in the community,” holding that city officials “shall not condone or tolerate any form of discrimination on” a host of factors, including race, religion, gender identity or immigration status.
It also goes as far as to say officers or city employees “may not inquire” about one’s immigration status under a number of circumstances. It also says “No city official officer or employee of the Easthampton Police Department may arrest or detain an individual solely on the basis of an ICE detainer or ICE administrative warrant.”
It also discourages city officials from performing “the functions of an immigration officer,” but also states “Nothing in this ordinance shall be construed to violate any federal law, or to prohibit any Easthampton agency or department from providing another law enforcement agency citizenship or information status,” consistent with various state and federal laws.
A former councilor who helped pass the original ordinance, Peg Conniff was on hand to support the re-affirmation.
She added it comes at a time when the national political climate has undocumented immigrants on edge.
“We have been led to believe that undocumented immigrants are the scourge of this country. The reality is that most are here, and have been here, working for years,” Conniff said. “Most work in our communities, send their kids to school, pay taxes, which, by the way, fund a lot of services they can never access, like food stamps and Medicaid. Those who live in Easthampton are your neighbors, your coworkers – and your children and their children play together daily.”
Other speakers during the meeting’s public comment section echoed the former councilor’s point, though residents concerned about the ordinance also stepped up.
Cathy Wauczinski says it’s inappropriate for Easthampton to ignore ICE detainers.
“… and I hope that that’s not happening - I do believe we risk federal funding if that does occur,” she said. “Illegal aliens should not be staying in our communities. They should not be using our resources, and they should be heading back to their own communities. We support immigrants who come here legally and do it the way that all of our predecessors have – with sponsors and coming in legally.”
The Trump administration continues to crack down on undocumented immigrants – at one point, putting a freeze of federal funds on so-called sanctuary cities on the table.
As for Easthampton, no formal vote was required of the council Wednesday.
