Mayor, Islamic leaders meet
Mayor Richard Berry cites “new round of concerns” for Muslims
Mayor Richard Berry met Monday with members of Albuquerque’s Islamic community after President Donald Trump’s immigration ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.
Berry said the meeting was held at the request of Abbas Akhil, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, and included the center’s board of directors, other members of the Islamic community, as well as representatives from the police and fire departments. The primary topic of conversation was safety, according to Berry, who said the ban had created a “new round of concerns” for the city’s Muslim residents.
“We need a city where all of our families and communities feel safe,” said Berry. “It’s times like this where we have to stand shoulder to shoulder regardless of background.”
Mostafa Amini, the Islamic Center’s general secretary and a participant in the meeting said the group discussed ways the community could proactively address safety issues, including assessing the center’s emergency procedures.
“There haven’t been any specific incidents, but we want to make sure we are prepared in the event that something does happen,” Amini said. “On the contrary, we have been overwhelmed by the amount of love and support from the city. So many people have stopped by the Center to tell us that they stand with us.”
Both Berry and Amini said the fact that Albuquerque is no longer a sanctuary city — a city that discourages enforcing federal immigration laws against undocumented immigrants — did not come up during the meeting. Berry ended Albuquerque’s sanctuary status in 2010.
When asked whether the immigration ban complicated his feelings about the sanctuary status, Berry said it had not. He also called the ban “a national issue, and one that needs to be addressed.”