Eliza Leighton is director of strategic initiatives for Casa de Maryland, the largest immigrant-based advocacy organization in the state.
She says it would be unpatriotic and “hateful” to pass the “anti-sanctuary city” resolution in Taneytown that City Councilman Paul Chamberlain Jr. proposed.
The resolution proclaims that illegal immigrants are not welcome and officials and residents will do everything under the law to keep them out.
Taneytown would become the first “anti-sanctuary city” in Maryland if the resolution passes.
Is this necessary or unnecessary for a place such as Taneytown?
We don?t think that any community should pass a resolution that speaks so clearly with hatred. The notion of a sanctuary city is one that welcomes and protects the people that are there.
Are sanctuary cities that allow illegal immigrants a drain on the economy?
Certainly not. Immigrants, whether they?re here with documented status or not, contribute with concrete ways to our local and national economy. There are many reports documenting the calculable ways … and the incalculable, they provide diversity.
Does it give outsiders the perception that Taneytown is an unwelcoming, unpatriotic or closed-minded place?
A measure that so drastically says they are not going to treat people with a basic level of dignity is sending a negative message to the rest of the state.
Councilman Chamberlain said sanctuary cities act illegally by turning a blind eye to federal immigration laws. What do you think?
Just in your wording, these immigration laws are federal and they are for a reason. Localities should concentrate on the things that they are supposed to do and do best, and being involved in the immigration laws is not one of them.
