Winooski seeks formal sanctuary city status

WINOOSKI - Winooski City Council members adopted a resolution Monday night to move the city toward formal status as a sanctuary city — the second Chittenden County city to express support for that designation in the past week.

Mayor Seth Leonard put forward a "resolution authorizing policy development to make Winooski a sanctuary city." Sanctuary cities refer to municipalities that have enacted policies to protect undocumented immigrants, such as directing law enforcement officers to take a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to a person's immigration status and not using city resources to enforce federal immigration law.

Council members stressed that the resolution placed the city on the path of formalizing and codifying sanctuary-city status.

"It’s important that we understand that by voting for this we’re initiating a process," council member Robert Millar said before the resolution was read. "Doing this doesn’t make us a sanctuary city tonight."

Winooski Police Chief Rick Hebert said his officers already avoid asking about immigration status. The city's fair and impartial policing policy directs employees to ask about immigration status only if doing so is necessary for an ongoing investigation.

The policy goes on to state that "agency members shall not dedicate time or resources to the enforcement of federal civil immigration law where the only violation of law is presence in the United States without authorization or documentation."

Hebert said the resolution will have no effect on how the agency polices.

"The resolution will serve as an affirmation this is a direction we want to go," Leonard said. He added that many of the city's policies already fall under the umbrella of sanctuary city policies.

Leonard said for him, the resolution is a statement to the city, not a comment on national politics. 

He said he's heard concerns that some people feel uncomfortable speaking to city authorities, and he would like to ensure all residents are able to access city services. The resolution also directs city staff to review policies to take a look at existing procedures to ensure they're welcoming to all residents. 

President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly has promised to cancel all federal funding for sanctuary cities.

At Monday's meeting, City Council members discussed the city's exposure, but the mayor cautioned that retracting federal funds would be a process. 

"There’s not a magic faucet that someone just turns off," Leonard said. 

Ray Coffey, the interim city manager, focused the presentation of the city's risk on money from the Justice Department and said the city could lose just under $200,000. That money goes toward Winooski's 16th police officer, the community justice center and bulletproof vests, among other things.

Coffey said county-wide SHARP grants, which go toward traffic enforcement, might also be affected.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger also has declared his intention to make Burlington a formal sanctuary city. 

Council head, police chief react to 'sanctuary city'

This story first appeared online on Nov. 21, 2016 and has been updated. Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @jess_aloe.