HOLYOKE — A resolution proposed by two city councilors that declares Holyoke is not a sanctuary city and calls on city officials to fully comply with federal law regarding immigration drew the ire of about 50 protesters on Tuesday afternoon who voiced concerns that the measure goes against the city’s immigrant history and values of inclusion.
The resolution was filed in June by councilors Kevin Jourdain and Linda Vacon in the wake of Holyoke being cited by the U.S. Department of Justice as a sanctuary city — a list Northampton also was on.
The councilors have said in previous news reports that the city could lose up to $10 million in federal funding if it is viewed to be noncompliant by the federal government. The resolution has since been referred to the council’s Development and Government Relations Committee. The organizers said in a flier that they would protest monthly ahead of that committee’s meetings going forward.
Meanwhile, Mayor Joshua Garcia said in a statement before the protest that Holyoke has never been a sanctuary city, but insisted that there is a fine line between being declared such a city and going so far as to comply with federal officials by reporting illegal immigrants.
Many of those who came out on Tuesday, some of them lifetime Holyoke residents, fumed over both the Trump administration and its crackdown on illegal immigration nationwide, and the local resolution’s call for city officials to comply with federal officials.
Lizabeth Rodriguez said she is tired of “the bull– of the current regime and the Supreme Court.” While she is of Puerto Rican descent, an American territory, and moved to Holyoke from New Jersey at the age of 5, Rodriguez said she nonetheless fears of the feds taking her in.
That fear isn’t simply a phobia. On Monday the Supreme Court decided in a 6-3 vote that allows agents to pursue suspects based on their race, language or job saying these may be “relevant factors” when tracking down suspects.
“I’m brown skinned, and if I’m speaking Spanish, who knows what they could do for a few days until they figure that out,” Rodriguez said.
She is not alone. In the Holyoke community, she said, “A lot of people are afraid, That’s why I’m surprised. I have neighbors from Columbia, Mexico, and Cambodia — we’re all afraid.”
She, like many of Paper City residents who came out to Tuesday’s rally, said the resolution turns its back on the city’s identity and heritage. Many cited the city’s history of the Irish, French, and Polish all coming for manufacturing opportunities, and later taking in Puerto Rican migrants for work, as evidence for why Holyoke should take a stand against Trump’s federal immigration policies.
“Holyoke is supposed to be a melting pot, a whole bunch of everybody just melting together. Look at St. Patrick’s Day weekend — we’re all Irish,” Rodriguez said.
After using her own choice words, Holyoke native Michelle Corbeil said, “How many people can say they are full-blooded Native Americans? Very few,” making the case that the vast majority of Americans are immigrants.
She too said the city was built by an immigrant workforce, and came out to make a stand because the rights of immigrants being taken away may trickle down to her.
While she is not a woman of color, she only half-joked that there are some “relevant factors” that might bring her under the scrutiny of the feds.
“I am a woman who never had children,” she said, to which her sister, Anne, added, “And we have cats.” The latter mark referenced a comment made by Vice President J.D. Vance, who once made a dig about “childless cat ladies.”
Organizer Claire McGale, who founded Real Majority Holyoke this year, said, “the main message I want is that there are people here willing to help.”
City Councilor Juan Anderson-Burgos was the only councilor to attend the rally.
“We are not on the national stage right now. We need to be focusing on what we can do to improve our city, make it safer, how we can help and support people who are homeless, how we can work on our streets, our infrastructure,” he said. “We have bigger problems.”
Mayor’s policy
While Holyoke may not be on the national stage right now, Boston certainly is.
The Trump administration launched operation “Patriot 2.0” and is rounding up illegal immigrants in the state following the Supreme Court’s ruling that Trump could resume roundups in Los Angeles.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is digging her heels in by upholding sanctuary city status in her city despite U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordering her to revoke the stance.
Meanwhile, Gov. Maura Healey steers clear of the title on the state level and insists that “Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state,” and called the operation “political theater.”
Garcia is taking the Healey route, saying that his office is currently in contact with the governor on how to navigate going forward.
For one, Garcia reiterated that “Holyoke is not, by any definition, a sanctuary city.” The mayor said that “to my knowledge” there is currently no universally accepted definition of a sanctuary city.
In law, the term sanctuary city holds no weight. But he made one thing especially clear in his statement.
Though the resolution calls for city officials to cooperate with ICE and federal authorities, Garcia said that any such policy falls within his authority and not that of the City Council.
“I also want to make clear that we do not do the work of the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” he said.
In January, Garcia reissued a 2014 Executive Order originally issued by then mayor Alex Morse that states that Holyoke Police will not honor or enforce civil immigration detainer requests from ICE or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) if a person would otherwise be released.
This is also a statewide policy. In 2017, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that local law enforcement cannot detain individuals solely for immigration violations.
These two laws, on the local and state level, make up Garcia’s immigration policy.
The mayor made clear he is not in the business of ratting people out. He is in the business of trust and does not want community members to not call 911 out of fear of deportation if they are in need.
“The proposed order from the councilors is under review, and I look forward to engaging in further dialogue with the City Council and our community to ensure our policies reflect both our legal framework and our values as a welcoming city,” said Garcia. “Public safety depends on trust, communication, and cooperation, and I remain committed to upholding these principles.”
