Search â–¸ Agenda item attachment
That the Cambridge City Council amend the Municipal Ordinances of the City of Cambridge to insert a new Chapter 2.129, entitled WELCOMING COMMUNITY ORDINANCE
ORDINANCE #2020-3 - FIRST PUBLICATION
CITY OF CAMBRIDGE
In the Year Two Thousand and Twenty
AN ORDINANCE
In amendment to the Ordinance entitled “Cambridge Municipal Code.”
That the Cambridge City Council amend the Municipal Ordinances of the City of Cambridge to insert a
new Chapter 2.129, entitled WELCOMING COMMUNITY ORDINANCE, to read as follows:
2.129.010 - PURPOSE.
The purpose of this ordinance is to establish the City of Cambridge as a Welcoming City,
to declare that all are welcome here, and to increase public confidence in Cambridge’s
government by providing guidelines associated with our city’s voluntary involvement in
federal immigration enforcement.
2.129.020 - PREAMBLE
It is not within the purview nor mandate of Cambridge to enforce federal immigration law
or seek the detention, transfer or deportation of Cambridge residents for civil immigration
purposes, nor should Cambridge’s resources be expended toward that end.
The City of Cambridge will equally enforce the law and serve the public without
consideration of immigration status, citizenship, national origin, race, or ethnicity.
2.129.030 - DEFINITIONS
“ICE” means the federal agency “Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), and any
other federal agency charged with the enforcement of immigration laws.
“Immigration detainers” and “ICE detainers” are requests made by federal immigration
officials, including but not limited to those authorized under Section 287.7 of Title 8 of the
Code of Federal Regulations to local Law Enforcement or Courts to voluntarily maintain
custody of an individual once that individual is released from local custody, and/or to notify
a federal agency before the pending release of an individual.
“ICE administrative warrant” means a warrant, notice to appear, removal order, warrant of
deportation, or other ICE custody document (I-200, I-203, I-205 or another listed in the
National Crime Information Database (NCIC)) issued by a federal immigration official,
not a judicial officer, and not based on a finding of probable cause for an alleged criminal
law violation.
2.129.040 - ORDER
a. Equal treatment. Cambridge will treat all persons equally, enforce
laws, and serve the public without consideration of immigration status.
Citizenship, immigration status, national origin, race, and ethnicity
shall have no bearing on an individual's treatment by employees or
officers of Cambridge agencies or departments. Inquiries about
immigration status. Officers and employees of the city may not
inquire about the immigration status of any victim, suspect, arrestee,
911 caller, or other member of the public with whom they have
contact, except as required to provide a public benefit.
b. Role of police in immigration enforcement. The city’s police
department will not initiate investigations or take law enforcement
action on the sole basis of actual or perceived immigration status,
including the initiation of a stop, an apprehension or arrest. The
Cambridge Police Department shall not take part in or assist with
federal immigration enforcement operations, with the exception that
the Department will actively assist in Federal human trafficking
operations.
c. ICE detainers and administrative warrants. Consistent with
Massachusetts law, no officer or employee of the Cambridge Police
Department may arrest or detain an individual solely on the basis of
an ICE detainer or ICE administrative warrant. This includes
extending the length of detention by any amount of time once an
individual is released from local custody, or before being transferred
to court or admitted to bail.
d. Federal requests for information. No officer or employee of a the
Cambridge Police Department shall provide a federal officer with the
following information relating to a person in the custody of the
Department: information about an individual’s incarceration status,
length of detention, home address, work address, personal information
other than citizenship or immigration status, hearing information, or
pending release, except information that is available through the
Massachusetts Public Records Laws, G.L, c. 66, section 10 and G.L.
c. 4, section 7 (twenty-sixth).
e. Encountering persons driving without a license. When acting
against a person who is found to be driving without a valid driver’s
license, officers of the Cambridge Police Department shall, whenever
possible and if there are no other violations causing the person to be
arrested, issue a summons to court instead of taking the person into
custody. In such circumstances, the law enforcement officer taking
action shall endeavor to provide the driver a reasonable opportunity to
arrange for a properly licensed operator to drive the vehicle before
seeking to impound the vehicle.
f. Notice to individuals subject to ICE interventions. If the
Cambridge Police Department receives an immigration detainer or
ICE administrative warrant for a person in its custody, the Department
shall provide the person with a copy of such detainer request or
administrative warrant, and any other documentation it possesses
pertaining to the person’s immigration case.
g. ICE access to facilities. Except in response to a judicial warrant or
other court order, ICE agents shall not be allowed access to individuals
in custody either in person or via telephone or videoconference.
h. U Visa Certification. In furtherance of the US Victims of Trafficking
and Violence Prevention Act, the Cambridge Police Department shall
consider a U Visa certification request if an individual (i.) is the victim
of a qualifying crime, and (ii.) has been, is being, or will likely be
helpful in the investigation/prosecution of that crime.
i.
Raids and other immigration enforcement actions. No officer or
employee of the Cambridge Police Department may participate in an
operation led by a federal agency to detain persons for deportation
purposes, except in response to a request to assist with support services
deemed necessary to ensure officer safety or to prevent a breach of the
peace during a federal operation, such as requests to establish traffic
perimeters, control traffic or provide police escort.
j.
Deputizing of local officials. No officer or employee of the
Cambridge Police Department shall perform the functions of an
immigration officer, whether pursuant to 8 U.S.C. section 1357(g) or
any other law, regulation, or policy, whether formal or informal.
k. School records and enrollment. No employee of the Cambridge
Public Schools shall require a student or parent to provide information
regarding their immigration or citizenship status to establish the
student’s residency in the district for enrollment purposes. If such
information becomes known to an employee of the Cambridge Public
Schools, such information shall not be kept or distributed, and shall
have no bearing of the student’s ability to register for school or the
school’s treatment of that student. Information collected regarding
place of birth for the purpose of providing English Language Learners
with appropriate services shall be used only for that purpose and not
distributed further.
2.129.050 - COMPLAINTS
Allegations of violations of the present policy and may be filed with the City Manager’s
Office and in the case of a complaint against an officer or employee of the Cambridge
Police Department, the Department’s Professional Standards Unit, who shall investigate
the complaint and take appropriate disciplinary action.
2.129.060 - REPORTING
Beginning on the date of passage of this ordinance and every six months thereafter, the
Cambridge Police Commissioner shall submit a report, with the information detailed
below, to the Clerk of the city forward to the City Manager, docket said report, and include
the docket on the agenda of the next-occurring meeting of the Public Safety Committee of
the City.
a.
The total number ICE holds, administrative warrants, and
notification requests lodged with Cambridge Law Enforcement
officials;
b.
The total number of individuals detained on an ICE hold or
administrative warrants, if any;
c.
The total number of individuals transferred to ICE custody, if any;
and
d.
The total reimbursements received from the federal government
pursuant to any granted hold, administrative warrant, or
notification request, organized by case.
2.129.070 - COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL LAW
Nothing in this ordinance shall be construed to violate any valid federal law, or to prohibit
any Cambridge agency or department from providing another law enforcement agency
citizenship or information status, consistent with 8 U.S.C. § 1373.
Passed to a second reading at the City Council meeting held on
January 27, 2020 and on or after February 10, 2020 the question
comes on passing to be ordained.
ATTEST:-
Anthony I. Wilson
City Clerk