NEWBURGH – Members of the Newburgh City Council want to put strong language in the city’s fair and welcoming community resolution adopted back in 2017.
The proposal, drafted by Councilwomen Giselle Martinez and Ramona Monteverde, would reaffirm that the city would not cooperate with ICE.
Monteverde told fellow lawmakers Thursday night their proposal would include certain protections in writing including prohibiting local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE.
“I think that this time, what we’re seeing is the fact that the immigration officers think that they are above the law; they are lawless in what they are doing is putting the fear in our community,” she said. “And as you know, our community members came out, including our religious leaders, to talk about this – the fact that there’s fear. People are afraid to come out; people are afraid to go to school, go shopping, go to the healthcare center because of this, and I am hoping, by doing this, whatever we actually can do to protect our community from these lawless thugs.”
This new proposal was precipitated in part by the two ICE killings of civilians in Minneapolis as well as several cases of masked agents grabbing people off the streets in Newburgh and elsewhere because of their physical characteristics.
Comments