After months of discussing it, Easton will not designate itself as a “welcoming city” for its immigrant residents.
An ordinance to formally designate Easton as a welcoming city was struck from the city council’s Wednesday evening meeting agenda. The ordinance, brought forth by Councilwoman Taiba Sultana, would have codified protections to the city’s immigrants in light in recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests.
It aimed to provide services regardless of immigration or refugee status. It would have formalized practices the ordinance said have already been followed by city staff and elected officials.
City employees would have been prohibited from inquiring about or recording a person’s immigration status unless required by law or court order. It also would have restricted cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies, such as sharing personal information, except when mandated by state or federal law.
The ordinance allows alternative forms of identification, such as passports or consular ID cards, for access to city services. It emphasized existing police department practices of approving certification requests for certain visas for crime victims and witnesses.
The measure called on council members to actively advocate for inclusive policies at the local, state and federal level. It called for an annual report detailing advocacy efforts and any partnerships with outside organizations.
The proposed ordinance referenced earlier city actions, including a 2017 resolution urging a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and a 2014 resolution supporting driver’s licenses for residents regardless of immigration status.
At the start of the meeting, Mayor Sal Panto Jr. moved to remove the ordinance from the agenda. He believed it would bring undesired attention to the city at a federal level, putting immigrants in further danger.
City Councilman Frank Pintabone added that he has spoken with members of the immigrant community, who have asked the council to stop pushing the ordinance for a similar reason.
“We are a welcoming city. We welcomed every immigrant. I think our record shows that,” Panto said. “I think this just validates what we’re doing. And so why put in an ordinance? I think it’s very disturbing to me that we would do this.”
Pintabone emphasized that the police are already doing what the ordinance would require. In other cities with similar ordinances, he said ICE arrests have still occurred.
Sultana said the city is already a target for ICE, and passing the welcoming city ordinance would not increase that risk. Even if the police are already not cooperating with ICE, she explained that it is important to put these protections in writing.
She explained that she has spoken to many community members, business owners, and legal advocates who support the ordinance and want the city to take a stand against what she described as “cruel federal anti-immigration policies.”
Councilwoman Crystal Rose said city council’s job is to protect Easton’s residents within legal bounds. She said, however, federal issues such as ICE are beyond the city’s control.
“I just don’t feel that the ordinance has teeth, as we’ve seen in other municipalities,” she said.
Chelsea McClure can be reached at cmcclure@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on instagram at @chelsealehighvalley.
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