EASTHAMPTON — Residents had conflicting views on whether to designate Easthampton a so-called “sanctuary city” at an informational meeting Thursday night.
“I want people to be safe whether they’re documented or undocumented,” said Easthampton resident Beth McElhiney, who favors the designation.
One Northampton resident, who declined to be named, came to the meeting and spoke of her personal experience in the United States as part of an immigrant family.
“There’s nothing to fear about immigrants,” she said.
Others were against the idea.
“I’m not in favor of undocumented status,” Easthampton resident Donald Torrey said. “They are illegal to be here, illegal to work here.”
Many who attended the meeting at the Eastworks building, however, asked questions about what the designation is and what it would mean for the community.
By declaring itself a sanctuary city, Easthampton would forbid the use of municipal funds to assist federal agencies in seeking out and penalizing undocumented immigrants, and prohibit municipal employees from inquiring about individuals’ immigration status.
The City Council is studying the idea, which was put forth by Councilor Jennifer Hayes. The measure will be discussed within the ordinance subcommittee that includes councilors Salem Derby, Tamara Smith and James “JP” Kwiecinski. The next meeting is on Jan. 11 and is open to the public.
Thursday’s meeting was organized by the American Friends Service Committee of Western Massachusetts with the focus on what is a sanctuary city and what isn’t.
“Being undocumented is not a crime,” the organization’s director Jeff Napolitano said at the start of the presentation. He said that crossing the border is typically not considered a felony.
According to Napolitano, sanctuary cities lawfully abstain from requests for participation in federal immigration enforcement and the Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
At a Dec. 7 council meeting, Police Chief Robert Alberti said the police department has a policy in place protecting illegal immigrants who are victims or witnesses to a crime.
He also said the department does not seek out immigration status.
About 70 people attended Thursday’s meeting including City Council President Joseph McCoy and councilors Smith and Kwiecinski.
McCoy said there will be many opportunities for community members to voice their opinions during public comment at city meetings.
According to Napolitano, there are three ways to implement a sanctuary city: resolutions, executive orders and municipal ordinances.
Neighboring communities have passed similar measures in recent year. Amherst, for example, passed a resolution while Northampton approved an executive order.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.