AMHERST — After a weekend in which an executive order from President Donald J. Trump temporarily banned people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, town, school and police officials are reminding residents that Amherst will always remain a welcoming community.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Acting Superintendent Michael Morris and Police Chief Scott Livingstone issued a joint statement Monday that reiterates the values the college town has.
“We uphold the integral and foundational American principles that the United States is a nation of the indigenous and the immigrant, and we should continue to welcome new immigrants to our great nation and to our community,” the statement reads.
The statement was written, Bockelman said, after town officials got requests that they take a stand as a result of developments at the national level, and that Amherst demonstrate that it remains a welcoming community for people of all backgrounds, no matter their immigration status.
“We felt it was important to re-articulate existing town policies and provide assurances to everyone in our community that we’ve thought about this and have procedures for how we handle things,” Bockelman said.
But because Amherst is not officially a sanctuary city, though Town Meeting in 2012 passed a resolution that asked police not to comply with Secure Communities Act that could compel officers to assist the Department Homeland Security and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, a petition is circulating calling for the town to defy federal immigration laws. How soon that petition will come to the Select Board, and how soon it can be acted on, isn’t known.
Select Board Chairwoman Alisa Brewer said the Human Rights Day proclamation in December referenced the town’s resolution. But becoming a sanctuary city, and what the means, could be a topic for the board’s meeting Feb 13.
“That’s a conversation we begin at that time,” Brewer said.
Bockelman said town officials don’t see immigration enforcement as a top priority, any more than they see the need to assist the Internal Revenue Service with finding who doesn’t pay taxes.
He hopes the statement will provide some level of comfort to those who may be angry, confused and afraid at the directives coming from the president.
“The whole concept of community policing is you build trust with your community so they feel comfortable coming to authorities to report incidents, or being witnesses to crimes,” Bockelman said.
Morris said he was pleased to sign on to the statement, which supplements a letter he sent to parents and guardians last week, reminding them that all students are educated who live in town.
“As much as we’re distinct departments, we’re all one town,” Morris said.
Teachers have told him they have concern for students whose families immigration status is unclear.
“The things I’ve heard the most from is staff and how to support families,” Morris said.
The Human Rights Commission may also be involved in the sanctuary city discussion. Commission Chairman Matthew Charity said he is looking forward to talking about this with Human Rights Director Deb Radway at its meeting, scheduled for Feb. 16.
Select Board member Constance Kruger said she was disturbed by actions at federal level over the weekend.
The statement goes on to say that officials will uphold the town’s laws and values and “will use legal and moral authority to protect all members of our community no matter their race or color, gender, physical or mental ability, religion, socio-economic status, ethnic or national origin, affectional or sexual preference, gender identity or expression, genetic information, lifestyle, age, or indeed their immigration status and to foster a community that is free of fear, intimidation and violence.”
“Our first and primary mission is the protection and education of the people of every age who live, work, visit, or study in the town of Amherst.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
