Two minor amendments helped Mayor Paul Soglin back off from a veto threat as a resolution officially codifying the City of Madison as a safe one for undocumented immigrants passed the Common Council unanimously Tuesday night.
The resolution, introduced by Alder Shiva Bidar, limits communication between the City of Madison and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement; restricts the spending of City funds on immigration enforcement actions; prohibits City agencies from denying City services based on immigration status; and makes clear that city officials, like the police, will not ask or disclose someone’s immigration status unless the person has committed a felony, among other things.
Additionally, the resolution designates the Common Council Office and the Public Libraries as “safe spaces, where where all residents may readily obtain phone interpreter services and immigrant rights information.”
The original resolution did not include public libraries, and did not specify what “safe spaces” meant, prompting Soglin to threaten to veto the entire measure.
““The rest of the resolution is fine,” Soglin said in a press conference last week. “Most of what goes in there, except for that one spot, actually modernizes our position, brings it in alignment with city policies and procedures.”
After the clarifying language was added Friday, and the Public Libraries added Tuesday, Soglin told the council he could support the entire resolution.
More than 70 people registered in favor of the resolution and more than a dozen. The City Clerk’s office was still processing the meeting minutes and registrant counts as of Wednesday afternoon.
“The best part of it was having so many people in the council chamber sharing their thoughts about how they feel and how important this council action is,” Bidar said. “Really incredible testimony from Hmong elders to DACA students to community advocates, really impacted the room.”
President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from “sanctuary cities,” and a bill is currently circulating in the state legislature that could withhold state funds as well.
“We know that (losing state and federal funding) is a very real threat and we need to kind of start working and strategizing around that,” Bidar said. “I think part of what yesterday did was engage people and make sure everybody knows that’s our next battle. The common council stands ready to fight that fight.”
