In Lawrence it’s called the trust ordinance; officials won’t hold undocumented immigrants for federal immigration agents unless there’s a criminal warrant for those individuals.
Councilor Kendrys Vasquez introduced the ordinance because some people told him they were afraid to call 911.
“Individuals that were undocumented they were not reporting those crimes because they were afraid they’d be deported,” Vasquez says.
But councilor Roger Twomey, who voted against it, says this has nothing to do with reporting crimes… and goes against federal law.
“The law is the law if we don’t like it then change it but until then the law is the law,” says Twomey. "If a person doesn’t come into this country through the proper channels, they are here illegally."
However, Vasquez says some undocumented immigrants came here at a young age and didn’t know their status while others did.
“They have entered the country without proper documentation and knowingly,” says Vasquez. “And that’s something that the federal government is more concerned about than local officials like we are here.”
The language in the ordinance prevents any officer or city employee from “Responding to ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] about a persons arrest status, address or pending release.”
That stifles deportation. Lawrence, like hundreds of cities nationwide—including Somerville and Boston—follows this protocol.
Whether this ordinance is good or bad for the people of Lawrence depends on who you ask. Some residents are divided.
“Some people you know ain’t documented dangerous. You know, its gonna make it more dangerous of a city,” says one resident.
“It will help them in a way because they won’t really have to worry that much but I feel they should try to get their documentation,” says Adrian Vargas.
Lawrence calls itself the ‘Immigrant City’ and now some will call it a sanctuary city.
