Hundreds gather at Springfield City Hall to protest Trump ban

Feb. 2, 2017 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

Hundreds gathered at City Hall to protest immigration policies

SPRINGFIELD – A reported 300 people gathered at Springfield City Hall on Jan. 27 to protest in part President Donald Trump’s travel ban and in part the announcement that Springfield is not a “sanctuary city” by Mayor Domenic Sarno.

Rose Bookbinder, a lead organizer with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, explained that organization co-sponsored the event with Massachusetts Jobs with Justice.

She told Reminder Publications that while the thrust of the protest on the steps of City Hall was aimed at Trump’s executive order banning immigration from certain predominately Muslim countries, the protesters were also hoping Sarno would change his mind on the status of Springfield.

In light of a story in the Boston Globe that included Springfield on a list of “sanctuary cities” in the state – along with Boston and Holyoke – Sarno emphatically told reporters on Jan. 26 that Springfield is not a sanctuary city.

“We are not a sanctuary city,” Sarno said. “There is no documentation [showing the city has the designation]. We are not going to become a sanctuary city.”

Bookbinder said, “There are a lot of different ways to describe a sanctuary city … there is no stock language on what a sanctuary city is.” She added there are ways for a municipality to protect the rights of illegal aliens without risking the loss of federal funding.

She said her organization is “more than willing to work with the mayor [to establish a sanctuary city].”

The controversy concerning cities that refuse to turn over illegal aliens to federal authorities came about with an executive order signed by Trump on Jan. 25 that would withhold federal funding from those communities.

Congressman Richard Neal issued a statement saying, “President Trump’s travel ban is wrong, divisive and contrary to America’s core values. Turning our back on refugees fleeing conflict and persecution will only damage our reputation around the globe. It will energize those bad actors who seek to do us harm. And judging by the chaos and confusion at our nation’s airports, the controversial executive order was not thoroughly vetted with the appropriate federal authorities.

“For more than 200 years, the Great Seal of the United States has been inscribed with the motto ‘E Pluribus Unum.’ It means from many, we are one. President Trump’s ill-advised executive order, issued in his first week in office, contradicts that historical belief. As a result, I will support legislation in Congress this week to immediately overturn this misguided policy,”

Sarno has sparred with several organizations that has brought legal aliens into the city and then has not provided what Sarno believes was adequate support, including safe housing.

In a written statement, the mayor said, “I would like to clarify that Springfield is not a sanctuary city and I do not intend to pursue any type of designation. It has been well documented in the last few years my aggravation in dealing with resettlement agencies and state and federal officials who do not properly communicate, engage or give proper full long-term wrap-around services to refugees.

“Though we are a caring city and I am first generation myself, of note, my parents in their younger days survived underground at times in Italy during the Nazi Occupation of World War II. Springfield has done more than its fair share in stepping up to the plate when it comes to dealing with homelessness, refugees, and subsidized housing. As the Boston Federal Reserve report of 2011 pointed out, you cannot continue to concentrate poverty on top of poverty. Again, the non-long term follow through of resettlement agencies in continuing to provide for refugees leaves all their issues of need at City Hall's doorstep without any supplemental funding.

“I’m all for empowerment, but as was noted a year or two ago, these resettlement agencies were putting individuals who had gone through traumatic experiences in their home countries in condemned housing units in the city of Springfield – which doesn’t help them out nor does it help out the city or those neighborhood areas. Commissioner Barbieri and I have been and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement authorities in their pursuit of violent repeat criminal offenders. If individuals are victimized they will be treated as any one of our residents with respect and follow through.

“I don’t want to jeopardize the millions of dollars of federal funding and grants that we pursue to deal with improving public safety issues, economic development initiatives and education. For any urban mayor, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds are a lifeline for urban youth development housing initiatives and job creation programs.

“I hope that President Trump and his administration realize that there is a give and take here. We will follow the law. If he was to pull these millions of dollars away from cities, this could cause even more of a negative situation for urban centers. These monies from the federal level I utilize more as an empowerment initiative not an entitlement initiative.”    

Share this: