POR 2017 #116 · Agenda item attachment · May 8 2017

City of Cambridge O-2 ORIGINAL ORDER IN CITY COUNCIL May 8, 2017 VICE MAYOR MCGOVERN WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has historically taken the lead on supporting religious freedom and immigrants, being a Sanctuary City since 1985; and WHEREAS: The Safe Communities Act, Bill S.1305, will protect the civil rights of all Massachusetts residents by guaranteeing that our tax dollars cannot be used to assist the federal government in deporting immigrant families or creating a Muslim registry; and WHEREAS: The Safe Communities Act will prohibit access to any information in state databases for use in any federal registry program based on national origin, religion, or other protected status; and WHEREAS: The Safe Communities Act will help protect due process rights for people detained in local and state detention facilities for civil immigration violations, including requiring that detainees have the legal right to decline an interview with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and have the legal right to have their own attorney present (at their own expense) if they so choose; and WHEREAS: The Safe Communities Act, will prevent any and all state, university, and local law enforcement from cooperating or engaging in immigration enforcement, including interrogation, raids, arrests, or detentions based solely on immigration status; and WHEREAS: History will prove and demonstrate that Massachusetts communities took a stand to protect religious freedom and all immigrants; now therefore be it RESOLVED: That the Cambridge City Council hereby go on record supporting the Safe Communities Act and requesting the Massachusetts Legislator to support the Safe Communities Act; and be it further RESOLVED: That the City Clerk is hereby requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to the local organization supporting this action, the Immigrant Advocacy Group of Cambridge (IAGC), Massachusetts State Senator Jamie Eldridge, and to the Cambridge delegation at the Massachusetts State House, on behalf of the Cambridge City Council