WHY?:
1) We need Longmont to stand up for the values of inclusion and integration that have made our country what it is. At a time when the Trump Administration is betraying our identity as a nation that welcomes immigrants and refugees, we want Longmont to stand true to our tradition as a place where people come from all of the world to make ours a better country. President Trump and his Administration are trying to bully local officials into turning state and local law enforcement agencies into agents of Trump’s deportation force. We need Longmont to stand up to repudiate Trump’s mass deportation strategy and put the safety of communities and trust in law enforcement first.
2) Passing a local Sanctuary Policy will make neighborhoods safer and protect the trust that law enforcement has built with communities. When state and local police are seen as an arm of federal immigration enforcement, immigrants are fearful of reporting crimes and serving as witnesses. But when law enforcement declares they are interested in fighting crime, not deporting immigrants, members of Immigrant communities are much more likely to work with local law enforcement so that criminals are arrested, not immigrants. The trust between immigrant families and the people they trust to protect them is the heart of community policing and this bill ensures that its success will be extended and defended so that communities are strong and safe.
3) The deportation policies of Trump are already creating deep mistrust of local law enforcement. As we saw a couple of weeks ago with the rumors of ICE checkpoints in Longmont, the community is now on high alert and extremely worried about enforcement actions. The city needs to make a clear statement that your interest is in defending and protecting ALL community members of Longmont, not collaborating with ICE to detain people for immigration violations.
4) The Citizens of Longmont and Boulder County are committed to making Sanctuary happen — and it should inspire all of us. Community members of Longmont, like so many Americans, are standing up for the American values we hold dear and the people we see as integral members of our communities. Inclusion, equal treatment, and commonsense policies are the keys to making our nation strong. We want our cities policies to reflect these values.
