The City Council discusses a proposed sanctuary city resolution during its Oct. 7 meeting.
Photo credit: Holyoke Media
HOLYOKE — On Oct. 6 and 7, a subcommittee and City Council decided not to support a proposed resolution that would state that Holyoke is not a sanctuary city.
City Councilors Kevin Jourdain and Linda Vacon introduced a resolution at the City Council’s June 17 meeting that would have declared that Holyoke is not a sanctuary sity.
The resolution was proposed after the federal Department of Homeland Security possibly identified the city as such.
They wanted the resolution to be adopted by the City Council and a copy be transmitted to the Department of Homeland Security, Holyoke’s federal delegation and the White House. The resolution called for all city departments to follow federal laws and cooperate with immigration enforcement when applying for federal grants.
The resolution was tabled for months, but organizers rallied during the Development and Government Relations Committee meetings on Sept. 9 and Oct. 6, due to the item being administratively laid on the table.
During the Oct. 6 Development and Government Regulations meeting, the resolution was voted 3-2 to be given leave to withdraw as a recommendation to the City Council to discuss during its meeting the following night.
The room was filled with residents, city councilors — both committee members and non-members — Mayor Joshua Garcia and state Rep. Pat Duffy who wished to express their feelings on the proposed resolution.
City Councilor Michael Sullivan, who serves on the Development and Government Relations Committee, read a statement from the Holyoke Police Chief Brian Keenan to “clarify things,” in response to immigration, custom and enforcement incidents.
Keenan’s statement read, “The Holyoke Police Department will uphold United States Constitution and the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights ensuring the security of civil rights of all persons, regardless of their immigration status. Law enforcement officers do not have the authority to arrest or carry out detention requests made in federal civil immigration detainers.”
The statement also said that the Holyoke Police Department will not arrest, detain or investigate a person based solely on alleged violations of federal immigration laws. No employee of the department shall interfere, prohibit, prevent or otherwise impede the enforcement of federal immigration laws by federal authorities including investigation, enforcement operation or ICE detainers.
Jourdain explained that he and Vacon filed the resolution when the city was listed with “the other 11 sanctuary cities in Massachusetts” and stated “it was really unfortunate to see Holyoke on that list. We were, in my opinion, mislabeled to be on the sanctuary city list. We are not a sanctuary city.”
Jourdain argued that $10 million of federal funds for schools, police and other departments could be at risk if the city did not comply with immigration laws.
There has been an ordinance in place since 2017 stopping Holyoke from becoming a sanctuary city, according to Jourdain.
“This resolution states that we’re going to follow all laws,” Jourdain stated, “This reaffirms our prior ordinance. There is nothing new happening here.”
Vacon shared her feelings on the resolution and said it has been mischaracterized by many who spoke at the committee meeting.
She further stated, “I see no conflict between being a law-abiding community and being a warm and welcoming community. They are not mutually exclusive. I think they actually go together.”
Duffy gave a perspective from the state level and said, “What I have is thankfully parallel to a lot of what’s already been discussed. It’s a good sign that we all have the same protocols.”
Duffy explained, in 2017, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Lunn v. Commonwealth that, “Massachusetts law provides no authority for Massachusetts court officers, so that’s sheriffs and state police, to arrest and hold an individual solely on the basis of a federal civil immigration detainer.”
Garcia stated, “Listening to everyone tonight, I feel that if not today, tomorrow or whenever as these conversations continue, there seems like a unique opportunity here to reaffirm not just my administration, but all of us together as elected officials collectively, to affirm our values that define Holyoke; the inclusivity, our compassion, the protection of everybody’s rights, regardless of their background.”
At the Oct. 7 City Council meeting, after another contentious discussion, the council voted 7-6 to leave to withdraw the resolution.
Both meetings were recorded and available at holyokemedia.org.
