FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Charla Nich | charla3@gmail.com | 203-209-1511
John Lugo | 203-606-3484
RALLY: Wednesday, August 14 @ 5:30 pm
New Haven will rally for Board of Alders to approve Sanctuary City Ordinance
“As Trump fuels violence against Latinos and immigrants, New Haven must affirm that all residents have access to safety and human rights” — John Jairo Lugo, ULA
New Haven, CT — New Haveners will rally with members of the Board of Alders to urge the passage of a new Sanctuary City Ordinance. The proposed Ordinance will update NHPD General Order 06-2, which is now more than a decade old, by requiring all city employees — not just police — to adopt a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Arrest” approach to immigration enforcement. This will ensure that all residents, regardless of immigrant status, can seek assistance from police and all city officers, without fear. Studies show that when cities and counties adopt this kind of policy, they are safer and economically stronger.
“After the events where white supremacists have terrorized and murdered dozens of people in the name of President Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, New Haven must affirm that all residents have access to safety and human rights,” said John Jairo Lugo of Unidad Latina en Accion (ULA). After the recent El Paso hate crime, some immigrants were afraid to go to the hospital for fear of being turned over to deportation agents. The New Haven Sanctuary Ordinance would ensure that immigrants can access City Hall services and police without such fear.
ULA has met one-on-one with 23 alders to enlist their support for the Ordinance. Twenty nine community groups in New Haven have affirmed their support, and more than 2,000 city residents have signed a petition in support of the Ordinance.
WHAT: Rally for a Sanctuary City Ordinance NOW!
WHEN: Wednesday, August 14 @ 5:30 pm
WHERE: New Haven City Hall, 165 Church St, New Haven, CT 06510
WHO:
- Unidad Latina en Accion (ULA)
- Board of Alders
- Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School
- New Haven Rising
- Mayor Toni Harp
What would the proposed Ordinance do?
- Conserve vital city resources for local needs.
- Ensure that city officers treat all residents equally, regardless of immigration status.
- Increase public safety by building trust between police and immigrant communities. Study: Sanctuary cities are safer and economically stronger.
- Avoid city liability for unlawful immigration enforcement.
The proposed Ordinance adopts a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Arrest” approach to immigration enforcement.
- Don’t ask—City employees, including police officers, cannot ask about immigration status unless necessary to administer government services or where required by federal law.
- Don’t tell—City employees, including police officers, will not release confidential information, including to immigration officials, unless necessary for certain criminal investigations. That includes information about immigration status, sexual orientation, status as a victim of sexual violence, and Social Security number.
- Don’t arrest—Police officers will not arrest or detain anyone based solely on suspicion of an immigration violation, nor will they detain anyone based on an immigration detainer
Why do we need this Ordinance when we already have NHPD General Order 06-2?
The Ordinance updates the Order, now more than a decade old, in the following ways:
- Applies to all city employees, not just police officers, and like similar policies in other cities, closes loopholes left open by the General Order in 2006.
- Bars city employees from enforcing federal programs that require registration of individuals based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin.
- Forbids the city from detaining an individual based upon ICE detainer requests.
- Creates accountability by requiring the city to publish and investigate complaints. Residents could report violations to the Civilian Review Board.
Would adopting this ordinance threaten New Haven’s federal funding?
- No. Federal courts in San Francisco and Chicago have enjoined federal threats to withhold funding, and more lawsuits are pending in Philadelphia, Seattle, and Boston.
- The Ordinance is carefully drafted to make sure that it complies with federal law.
- The federal government would have to give New Haven notice and an opportunity to defend itself before funding is suspended. At each stage of the process, New Haven will have strong legal arguments that the federal government cannot suspend funding.