Southold’s Public Safety Task Force is expected to present its findings and recommendations Wednesday on how the town should respond to federal immigration enforcement — as debate over police cooperation and federal funding intensifies.

The special meeting of the Town Board and task force, slated to begin at 8 a.m., will mark the next step in the town’s consideration of a Public Safety and Accountability Local Law proposed by OLA of Eastern Long Island, a Latino advocacy organization.

Councilman Brian Mealy said task force members will report their findings as the Town Board weighs the OLA proposal, which is intended to support the North Fork’s immigrant community.

“It’s an important moment in the process,” Mr. Mealy told The Suffolk Times.

The Town Board unanimously created the advisory task force Feb. 10, six days after federal immigration agents detained three longtime North Fork residents during a sweep in and around Greenport. OLA executive director Minerva Perez urged the board to develop a clear plan for responding to future immigration operations.

“What we’re recognizing with this resolution is that there are times when the safety and the peace is broken,” Ms. Perez said at the Feb. 10 meeting. “And any town, any village when that’s happening, it’s happening in a repeated sort of way, would want to have a response to that and some sort of plan in place and not just an idea of a plan but a rock solid plan.”

Southold’s 12-member volunteer task force includes Supervisor Al Krupski, two Town Board members, Police Chief Steven Grattan, another Police Department representative and members drawn from Greenport Village, a local school district and several town and community groups. The town has not published a complete roster.

OLA’s proposed law acknowledges the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration laws and would not authorize Southold police to interfere with federal agents. It would instead establish procedures for reporting immigration operations involving town police, make certain information available to the public and maintain a community task force to review future enforcement activity.

East Hampton Village and East Hampton Town adopted versions of the OLA-backed legislation this spring. The measures restrict the use of municipal personnel and resources in federal civil immigration enforcement while allowing cooperation in criminal matters or when otherwise required by law.

OLA’s push has become part of a broader dispute over local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Rep. Nick LaLota warned East End municipal leaders in June that he would not support discretionary Community Project Funding requests from governments that adopt policies he believes obstruct or impede lawful cooperation.

Ms. Perez challenged Mr. LaLota’s position in a July 5 guest column published by The Suffolk Times.

“There is nothing in this proposal that would obstruct, impede or refuse lawful cooperation with federal authorities carrying out their responsibilities under federal law,” she wrote. “To the contrary, this local law would promote the rule of law and public safety.”

Mr. LaLota countered in a guest column published by The Suffolk Times on July 23 that the measure’s operative provisions could make it more difficult for local police to assist during civil immigration operations, transfer people with final removal orders into federal custody or share locally maintained information with federal agents.

“My concern is with the operative provisions, which make cooperation with federal immigration authorities more difficult than it otherwise would be,” he wrote.

Mr. LaLota also reiterated that he would not support discretionary federal funding for municipalities that voluntarily adopt such policies. Earlier this month, the congressman joined Southold officials to announce more than $1 million for 10 Police Department vehicles and 20 upgraded radios.

Wednesday’s presentation will not include a vote on the OLA proposal. Task force members will report their findings, after which the Town Board could pursue the measure, revise it or take another approach. Any local law would still have to be formally introduced and subjected to a public hearing before a vote.

The meeting will be held in the Town Hall Annex basement meeting room at 54375 Main Road and will also be accessible via Zoom.

The post Southold task force to present findings on OLA’s proposed immigration law appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

Source link

24World Media does not take any responsibility of the information you see on this page. The content this page contains is from independent third-party content provider. If you have any concerns regarding the content, please free to write us here: contact@24worldmedia.com