The Boston City Council passed resolutions supporting immigrant’s rights legislation and extended greetings for Ramadan to the Muslim community during its Wednesday meeting at City Hall Plaza.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts held a rally before the city council meeting to show support for Mayor Michelle Wu’s testimony before Congress on sanctuary cities Wednesday.
Following the rally, Councilors Benjamin Weber and Julia Mejia, joined by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, introduced a resolution affirming their support for immigrant communities.
“In times like this, we need to stand together,” Weber said. “We showed, not just the city but the whole country, that the city is not going to back down, and we’re going to stand up for our neighbors.”
The resolution specifically supports immigrant rights legislation, including the Safe Communities Act, the Immigrant Legal Defense Act and the Dignity Not Deportations Act.
Mejia said the resolution was formed to support the mayors, including Wu, testifying before Congress.
“The attacks that are happening on the federal level, they’re coming for all of us,” Mejia said. “If we’re not standing with each other and in solidarity with one another, we’re all going to find ourselves in spaces and places that we don’t need to be.”
The Safe Communities Act, which limits involvement in federal immigration enforcement and protects the rights of immigrants, is identical to the Boston Trust Act, Weber said.
“Like the Boston Trust Act, it doesn’t stop federal immigration officials from doing their jobs,” Weber said. “[It] just means our local officials, when somebody does not commit a serious crime, does not lend aid or use our resources to aid in those removals.”
Weber said the Immigrant Legal Defense Act is designed to “help people solidify their status,” while the Dignity Not Deportations Act “the other side of the coin of the Trust Act, preventing state and municipal entities from making immigration enforcement and detention agreements with the federal government.
“We’re not going to allow our towns to serve as detention centers for immigrants,” he said.
Councilor Liz Breadon said resolutions are “symbolic,” arguing this one, in particular, is “really important.”
“It sends a message to our colleagues at the State House that this is an important issue for us,” she said.
However, some council members opposed the urgency to pass the resolution, arguing they lacked sufficient information about the legislation to make an informed vote.
Councilor Ed Flynn said he would prefer a hearing on the legislation before voting on the resolution in support of it.
“It’s important to have the opportunity to learn,” Flynn said. “If we did have a hearing, I would like to know from some of the department heads what impact this would have on housing [and] what impact would this have on social services.”
Likewise, Councilor Erin Murphy suggested refiling the topic as a hearing order to gather more information, particularly with how the legislation will perform on a state level.
“I do understand from the scrambling that went on as the council meeting started that many people feel strongly about going to a vote, and so I’m not going to block this,” she said. “But, my plan is to refile this as a hearing order.”
After voting, the resolution was approved by the committee with 10 affirmative votes and two negative votes.
Additionally, Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson proposed a resolution extending heartfelt wishes to the Muslim community during Ramadan.
Anderson said Ramadan is not only a time where “Muslims fast, pray and give to charity” but also a period in which they seek forgiveness for their sins.
“I’m asking that the council suspend and pass to support this resolution to again commemorate, but also uplift all Muslims in the city of Boston and abroad for a happy Ramadan,” she said.
Anderson, who is part of the Muslim community, said she hopes to serve as an outlet of education regarding the Islamic community and its traditions.
“I feel that the vast majority does not understand fully the Islamic community or its practices,” she said. “We, as Muslims, have to do a better job of coming out and educating the public on who we are and what we believe in.”
After presenting, the resolution was passed unanimously.
“I encourage you [to have] more conversations in the spirit of Ramadan, to educate yourselves more about Islam and more about Ramadan,” Anderson said.
