Albany City Hall, where Mayor Dorcey Applyrs signed an executive order on immigration enforcement. Photo: Tyler A. McNeil, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Mayor Dorcey Applyrs signed an executive order on Thursday, Nov. 12, that bars U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using Albany city property for immigration enforcement. CBS6 reported that the order prohibits city property from being used for staging, processing or detention. Spectrum News described the ban as covering “any federal immigration enforcement activity” on city property. Both outlets said the order also requires documentation of federal immigration enforcement activity and reaffirms Albany Police identification practices, including visible badges, body-worn cameras and officers identifying themselves as members of the department.
Applyrs told CBS6 the order builds on protections put in place under former Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “Our advocacy organizations have told us the horrific, horrific, horrific stories about families who are scared to go out in our communities for fear of being targeted by ICE,” she said, adding that “even walking to school after a father and 4-year-old child were detained in our community, there are those who are fearful of going to school.” She also said the public has at times mistaken Albany officers for ICE agents, and that “trust is essential and crucial to public safety.”
In remarks quoted by Spectrum News, Applyrs framed the order as a response to incidents in the city and nationwide: “Given what we have witnessed across the country, it was necessary to update Albany’s policies and strengthen the protections for our immigrant, refugee and New American communities.” Migdalia Jimenez, regional executive director of Capital District Latinos, told Spectrum, “We are seeing first hand how the heightened immigration enforcement is affecting families we serve people are afraid to leave their homes, afraid to attend appointments and sometimes even afraid to come through our doors to access something as essential as food.” Spectrum said it had reached out to ICE for a response.
CBS6 reported that when the Applyrs administration was asked whether ICE has used city property in the past, officials could not recall any incidents. The order, the station said, is both reactive and proactive.
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