‘NO HATE, NO FEAR’
Sanctuary city supporters, foes clash outside council meeting
A group of about two-dozen people called on city officials Thursday night to join the city of Albany in declaring their community a so-called sanctuary city for illegal immigrants, but they were met by a smaller but equally vocal group opposing the idea.
Led by representatives of the Troy Area Labor Council AFL-CIO and including ICE-FREE Capital District, the Albany chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and Citizen Action of New York, the group picketed outside City Hall prior to the monthly Troy City Council meeting, holding placards with messages such as “Sanctuary Everywhere” and “Stop Deportation” and chanting slogans such as “No hate, no fear. Immigrants are welcome here.” Several members later spoke at the end of the council meeting to state their case for the city to join about 400 other cities and countiess from coast to coast that have limited their cooperation with federal efforts to en-
force immigration law.
“The people of Troy want Troy to be a sanctuary city,” said Guillermo Maciel, a city resident who was among the leaders of the protest.
“What that means is, we want to make sure that everyone in our neighborhoods — no matter what their status is in this country regarding immigration, regarding their race or their ethnicity — are going to be protected by the city.”
The group was met however, by about a half-dozen opposing protesters like Jerry Roe, a 30-year city resident who said he does not oppose immigration, only those who subvert the system and enter the country illegally. He pointed out the United States is already more lenient than other many nations, where anyone caught in the country illegally are not simply deported, but imprisoned.
“Politicians take an oath of office to uphold and defend the law when they occupy an office,” Roe said. “We have so many lowlifes who think they are above the law and their oath can be ignored, we saw the law get thrown in the gutter. They should be able to be unelected; they should be in jail. That’s not government.”
The protesters were initially separated by about 50 feet, with supporters using the sidewalk along the southern end of the Hedley Park Place Building and opponents in the raised walkway by the building’s entrance. Once the media began focusing its attention on the pro-sanctuary group, however, opponents came down to join them, and each side tried to disrupt the other’s protest, leading to some pushing and shoving between the two sides before they were separated by city police.
Mayor Patrick Madden said Friday he was willing to consider the protesters’ suggestions, but was wary of making an official designation.
“I don’t think I would ever call Troy a sanctuary city because it means so many things to so many people,” he said. “I think that what’s more important than what you call yourself is what you actually do.”
Maciel said he was born a U.S. citizen, but watched as his father — an undocumented immigrant whom his son said was a productive member of society, working, paying taxes and even owning his own home — was deported when his son was just 12.
“I lost my dad because there was no sanctuary where I lived,” he said. “There was no place that actually recognized that this is a contributing member of our society. We have members in our community not just from Mexico, not just from Latin America, but from all around the world, who come here. I think the community needs to ask itself if we want to be the kind of inclusive community that helps people achieve their American dreams, or do we want to be the kind of community that shuts people out.”
Sean Collins, vice president of the Troy Area Labor Council, said that group is helping to lead the fight simply because “it’s the right thing to do,” and he vowed to make it an issue in November’s City Council campaigns. In fact, the group of protesters included Rensselaer County Legislator Gary Pavlic, who was recently endorsed by the city Democratic Committee to oppose incumbent council President Carmella Mantello in November.
“It’s long overdue,” Collins said. “Communities across the Hudson Valley are doing this. Kingston, Albany, Hudson have all declared themselves sanctuary communities.”
Maciel said public safety is one of the critical issues addressed by the sanctuary movement. He explained that many illegals will not report crimes or step forward as witnesses simply because they’re afraid they may be the one to end up in handcuffs.
“If you want the community to feel safe, if you want the community to speak to public safety officials, then you have to be able to develop that kind of trust,” he said.
“A sanctuary city does that for our community. We should not be using our local funds to be cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the deportation of undocumented immigrants in our community.”