Brooklyn Park on Immigration Concerns: ‘We Don’t Do Enforcement’
The city of Brooklyn Park is responding to concerns about the city’s role in potential federal immigration action.
Brooklyn Park city officials stressed on Monday night that it’s not the role of city police to conduct immigration enforcement.
Under the city’s policy, police only inquire about someone’s immigration status if that person committed a violent crime or other significant offense, officials said.
“Our concern is if people are hesitant to call 911, then it could perpetuate a situation where it makes them targets of potential violent crime,” said Brooklyn Park City Manager Jay Stroebel.
City leaders say they’ve received numerous emails and phone calls in response to the federal government’s recent decision to increase U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities across the country.
Brooklyn Park is a diverse community. According to city population data, more than half of Brooklyn Park residents identify as people of color and nearly a quarter are foreign-born.
City leaders point out that the city is not doing anything different than it did before when it comes to immigration.
“We’re basically continuing what we’ve been doing to keep our city employees, emergency services safe and doing the job they were designated to do, Is that accurate?” asked Brooklyn Park City Council Member Shelle Page at Monday night’s meeting.
“Your description is 100 percent accurate,” said Stroebel.
Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston also released a statement on the matter, again stressing the police department is not used for immigration enforcement purposes.
“I want every resident to know that whether you’re undocumented, a U.S. Citizen, a green card holder, or if you’re here on a visa – we value you and are here for you,” said Winston.
Brooklyn Park has also put together a FAQ document on immigration issues to address further questions.
Also See: Brooklyn Park Police Address Immigration Enforcement Concerns
