Ulster could become sanctuary county
Legislature to consider resolution regarding undocumented immigrants
Ulster County could, in effect, become a sanctuary county for undocumented immigrants under a measure being advanced by a group of Democratic lawmakers.
Officially called “A Policy to Maintain a Safe, Inclusive Government and Ensure the Protection, Order, Conduct, Safety, Health and Well-Being of All Persons in Ulster County,” the eight-page resolution spells out how government officials can interact with immigrants and federal immigration officials.
Among other provisions, the measure calls for county employees to not stop, question, interrogate or arrest individuals “solely for the purpose of enforcing immigration law”; to not perform the functions of a federal immigration officer; to honor detainer requests from federal agents only in specific limited situations; and to deny federal agents access to inmates in county custody.
The measure also would prohibit county resources from being used to create a federal registry based on immigration status and states that the county won’t use citizenship or immigration status when providing services or benefits, except
when those services or benefits are contingent on citizenship or legal immigration status.
Legislature Minority Leader Hector Rodriguez, the primary sponsor of the resolution, declined to characterize the measure as creating a sanctuary county, but the proposal — which Rodriguez said was crafted largely from a policy adopted by Tompkins County — mirrors the language offered by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in a report outlining model sanctuary provisions.
Noting the increase in deportations both nationally
and locally, including a New Paltz resident who was taken into custody recently by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is slated for removal from the United States, Rodriguez said he wants to make sure Ulster County residents feel safe in their communities.
“Everybody in our community should be able to feel safe,” the New Paltz Democrat said.
Although the policy would extend to all branches of county government, Rodriguez said the measure was particularly important because the “sheriff right now maintains a different policy.”
Ulster County Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum, though, said that as an independently
elected official, he can set his department’s policies.
“They can’t create policy for the Sheriff’s Office,” VanBlarcum said. “I’m an independently elected official. I’m the only one who can create policy for the Sheriff’s Office.”
Nevertheless, he said, the Sheriff’s Office has a longstanding policy of not delving into the immigration status of the people they question.
“We don’t stop people on the street and ask if they’re here legally or illegally. It’s not one of the questions we ask if we interview you,” he said.
The Sheriff’s Office does, however, notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement if an inmate in the
county jail was born outside the U.S.
“We’ve been doing the same thing when it comes to illegal people in the country as long as I’ve been in the department,” he said.
The sanctuary proposal originally was on the agenda for discussion by legislative committees this month, but Rodriguez said he asked that action be postponed so lawmakers could meet with VanBlarcum and other stakeholders in the community.
In January, the Kingston Common Council adopted a memorializing resolution declaring the city “welcoming and inclusive” toward undocumented immigrants.