10 signatures reached
To: Dwayne D. Warren, Esq., Mayor of Orange; Todd Warren, Orange Police Director; and Honorable Councilwomen and Councilmen of the Orange City Council
Keep Orange NJ Fair + Welcoming
We are asking the Mayor, Police Director and City Council to take the following, legal actions, already agreed to by other cities and towns in our state and around the nation to protect undocumented immigrants and other vulnerable people in Orange:
The Mayor can direct city agencies:
-To NOT discriminate based on actual or perceived immigration status.
-To NOT collect, save, or share sensitive information that can be used against residents who may be undocumented or otherwise vulnerable.
The Police Director can establish a policy that directs local police:
-To NOT stop, arrest or detain residents based on actual or perceived immigration status.
-To NOT enter into agreements participating in immigration operations or deputizing local police to act as immigration agents
-To create a U-Visa program to protect victims of serious crimes.
City Council can pass a resolution to support the Fair + Welcoming program and agree to pursue other policies to support undocumented and otherwise vulnerable community members. The resolution will show that our elected officials represent the desire of their constituents to create and maintain a safe and welcoming city for all.
To view the full resolution, visit http://www.essexuu.org/FairandWelcomingCityResolution20170112.pdf
The Mayor can direct city agencies:
-To NOT discriminate based on actual or perceived immigration status.
-To NOT collect, save, or share sensitive information that can be used against residents who may be undocumented or otherwise vulnerable.
The Police Director can establish a policy that directs local police:
-To NOT stop, arrest or detain residents based on actual or perceived immigration status.
-To NOT enter into agreements participating in immigration operations or deputizing local police to act as immigration agents
-To create a U-Visa program to protect victims of serious crimes.
City Council can pass a resolution to support the Fair + Welcoming program and agree to pursue other policies to support undocumented and otherwise vulnerable community members. The resolution will show that our elected officials represent the desire of their constituents to create and maintain a safe and welcoming city for all.
To view the full resolution, visit http://www.essexuu.org/FairandWelcomingCityResolution20170112.pdf
Why is this important?
The City of Orange Township is an ethnically, racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse community. This has been a source of our municipality’s strength. We are committed to ensuring that all our residents can live and pursue their livelihoods in peace and prosperity. Like many Americans, we are deeply concerned about how the new presidential administration will impact the lives of immigrants and their families, whether they will be forced to leave this country, and whether rights and protections afforded to them will suddenly be taken away.
When local law enforcement voluntarily cooperates with, or works on behalf of, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), significant gaps in trust and cooperation grow between immigrant communities and the police. Some of these practices could expose the City of Orange to liability for violations of individuals’ constitutional rights. Undue collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE will make immigrants less likely to report crimes, act as witnesses in criminal investigations and prosecutions, and provide intelligence to law enforcement. The cooperation of the City of Orange’s immigrant communities is essential to prevent and solve crimes and maintain good public order, safety and security for the entire City. Community policing depends on trust with every community in Orange. Facilitating deportations will harm such efforts.
A growing number of municipalities around the country are standing up to threats against privacy and liberties by taking meaningful steps to ensure that at-risk communities are safe, and that all residents’ rights are respected, so that their municipality may continue to thrive. Due to Orange’s limited resources, we see a clear need to foster the trust of and cooperation from, the public, including members of vulnerable communities. To effectuate these goals, we urge the City Council, the Mayor and the administration of the City to clarify its role in protecting all city residents’ privacy and rights.
When local law enforcement voluntarily cooperates with, or works on behalf of, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), significant gaps in trust and cooperation grow between immigrant communities and the police. Some of these practices could expose the City of Orange to liability for violations of individuals’ constitutional rights. Undue collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE will make immigrants less likely to report crimes, act as witnesses in criminal investigations and prosecutions, and provide intelligence to law enforcement. The cooperation of the City of Orange’s immigrant communities is essential to prevent and solve crimes and maintain good public order, safety and security for the entire City. Community policing depends on trust with every community in Orange. Facilitating deportations will harm such efforts.
A growing number of municipalities around the country are standing up to threats against privacy and liberties by taking meaningful steps to ensure that at-risk communities are safe, and that all residents’ rights are respected, so that their municipality may continue to thrive. Due to Orange’s limited resources, we see a clear need to foster the trust of and cooperation from, the public, including members of vulnerable communities. To effectuate these goals, we urge the City Council, the Mayor and the administration of the City to clarify its role in protecting all city residents’ privacy and rights.