The Dane County Board of supervisors is considering two resolutions responding to recent actions from the Trump Administration.
The first, Resolution 521, declares the County’s opposition to President Trump’s executive order travel ban, which has been put on hold after a federal appeals court upheld a temporary suspension on the ban.
The second, Resolution 520, affirms Dane County officials’ refusal to encourage or assist in any raids or identification checks from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a part of Trump’s executive order calling for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants.
“These policies harm Dane County citizens and harm Dane County residents,” said Carousel Bayrd, Second Vice Chair of the Dane County Board and lead sponsor of both resolutions. “It creates fear in the community, it creates stereotypes in the community.”
Resolution 520 reiterates many of the county’s established immigration policies such as not using County officials — including Sheriff’s deputies — “as ICE agents or using county funds or personnel to assist with immigration raids,” Bayrd said, and not documenting or reporting documentation status, unless required by court order or law, according to an official statement.
One section of the resolution also reads, “…the Dane County Board of Supervisors expresses its desire that the Dane County Sheriff’s Office develop a policy refusing to report the immigration status of any individual booked into the Dane County Jail to ICE unless the individual is charged with a felony or poses a terrorist threat or a danger to the safety of the nation, except as required by court order or law.”
“We will not be cooperating with ICE or the federal government deportation action,” said Bayrd. “We really want to reassure people that we are not the federal government and we stand with them”
Both resolutions have more 20 co-sponsors and are expected to be approved at the County Board’s February 24 meeting.
