Minneapolis City Council Condemns Executive Actions On Immigration

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Last week, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to condemn the recent executive orders issued by the White House that ban immigration from Muslim-majority countries.

Calling the orders "a violation of the United States Constitution," the resolution opposes any attempt to coerce or impose federal control over local jurisdictions in order to make them comply with the administration’s policy.

The Minneapolis City Council also directed staff to establish a "Sanctuary City Task Force" that would recommend ways of strengthening city policies, programs and resources so they can better protect undocumented immigrant families, Muslim residents and other targeted groups, according to a news release.

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"Before the president was inaugurated, I asked senior City staff to look into the risks to Minneapolis of what he said he would do, because I knew we did not need to wait and see if he was going to do it," said Mayor Betsy Hodges in a statement. "Since then, the president is in fact doing exactly what he said he would do: he is going after immigrants, judges, voters, journalists, and artists — and the cities like Minneapolis where they find their homes — in order to weaken our democracy. In response, the City of Minneapolis is doing what we’ve always done: we are coming together to defend and lift up the people of our city, for the good of us all."

"Our separation ordinance, which makes everyone in Minneapolis safer by helping victims and witnesses of crime come forward without fear, will stand as long as I am mayor. And as long as I am mayor, Minneapolis will be a beacon of welcome and resilience."

"This is a moment when the nation is coming together," said City Council Vice President Elizabeth Glidden. "This is a movement of people. The City of Minneapolis is following the lead of the community in affirming our support and solidarity with immigrants and refugees. Thank you to the community for standing up and speaking out against these destructive executive orders. We will continue to follow your lead."

"Protecting and defending our immigrant, Muslim, and refugee community in this time of attack is vital for the future growth and success of our city," said Council Member Alondra Cano, who was the primary author of the staff direction. "By establishing this Sanctuary City Task Force we are telling the President that he can take the money, but he will never take our people."

You can read the resolution and staff direction on the Minneapolis website.

Image via Michael Vadon, Flickr, used under Creative Commons