http://http://vimeo.com/12253768

Associated Students of Madison Rep. Max Love’s comments

http://http://vimeo.com/12242781

Student perspectives on immigration enforcement

As the nationwide debate over illegal immigration continues, Madison’s City Council has made immigration reform a local issue.

At a meeting Tuesday, the council unanimously voted to adopt a resolution disapproving of Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney’s policy of contacting the authorities from Immigration and Customs Enforcement when someone appearing to be an illegal immigrant is arrested.

The resolution, introduced by Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5, encountered little opposition at the meeting; dozens of Madison-area residents of various ethnic backgrounds registered to speak in support of the resolution, with one non-speaking registrant opposing it.

Members of the city’s Hmong and Latino communities were the most prevalent speakers at the meeting.

Tracy Benson, a member of Madison-based Freedom Inc. who works predominately in the Asian American community, called Mahoney’s policy an “inhumane practice” because of its potential to split refugee families from Southeast Asia.

“For many refugee and immigrant women and families, there is already a mistrust of the police,” Benson told members of the council. “No other community has to worry about losing someone forever as the only way to prevent violence in their family.”

Several members of the audience, including some who did not appear to be Latino, wore shirts asking “Do I Look Illegal”, a common phrase repeated in many comments to the council.

Rosario Wilson, a Madison mother of an autistic child who required a translator from Spanish to English, said the sheriff’s policy could be especially problematic for immigrant families with disabled children.

Bidar-Sielaff said she decided to write the resolution because of her frustration with the current immigration system and what she said was a proud Madison tradition of being a welcoming place.

“Madison has a proud tradition of being a welcoming city; it welcomed me,” Bidar-Sielaff said. “If at any time one segment of our community is afraid of law enforcement, we all suffer.”

The decision to pass the resolution prompted Ald. Marsha Rummel, District 6, to recommend the council’s leadership meet with Mahoney to consider how the two could improve immigration policy among police in the area.

Madison Police Chief Noble Wray told the council that while his department has tried to improve relations among Madison’s immigrant communities with initiatives such as the “Amigos en Azul” program, many residents have difficulty differentiating between the sheriff and MPD officers, who are sometimes mistrusted because of county policies.

Mahoney said he has engaged in the same practice which was condemned by the city council for 31 years, and that it has helped him keep Dane County jails safe. He added his office has a policy that immigration status has no relevance to interactions between patrol officers and area residents.

“I make contact with ICE as we have for the last 31 years for means of helping to identify those who are not U.S. citizens,” Mahoney said. “That is made for all individuals booked in the jail.”

Mahoney also said he was not contacted by council leadership prior to the passage of the resolution.

“I find it very curious that now they have passed the resolution they want to have a conversation,” he added. “There was no reaching out prior to the passing of the resolution.”