Gov. Deval Patrick has already announced Massachusetts will not participate in the federal program.
SPRINGFIELD – The City Council on Monday night approved a non-binding resolution that urges Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to refuse to sign any memorandum of agreement to participate in the federal “Secure Communities” immigration initiative.
Gov. Deval L. Patrick already announced in June that Massachusetts will not participate in the federal program, which checks the immigration status of people who are arrested. Defenders of the program say it only targets immigrants arrested for committing violent crimes and is not an effort to enforce federal immigration laws.
At Monday’s council meeting, an overflow crowd of residents and community activists applauded and cheered the passage of the council resolution.
The resolution states in part that the Secure Communities initiative “would deter the reporting of criminal activity, encourage racial profiling, or would deteriorate the relationships with communities that have been carefully cultivated with years of hard work.” It also states the council “remains firmly committed to the protection of civil rights and civil liberties of all people.”