By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is backing a proposal to declare Bloomington a welcoming city, even for undocumented immigrants.
ACLU leaders visited the Twin Cities today as part of a listening tour. Speaking with WJBC’s Sam Wood, ACLU Communications and Public Policy Director Ed Yohnka said there’s no such thing as a sanctuary city because local police would continue cooperating with federal authorities when they lawfully detain people.
“I think it’s really sending the signal that people are safe, they’re secure, that they can interact with their local law enforcement agencies, that they can report crimes,” said Yohnka. “Those are really, really important things.”
A standing-room only crowd packed into Bloomington City Council chambers Monday night lobbying for a welcoming city resolution.
ACLU of Illinois Executive Director Colleen Connell also explained a welcoming declaration is important for increasingly diverse Central Illinois communities like Bloomington.
“State Farm has an international clientele and an international workforce,” Connell explained. “In Peoria, Caterpillar [has] engineers from everywhere. The faculty at most universities is incredibly diverse, as is not just its student base, but its graduate student based.”
No date has been set for city council action on a welcoming resolution, but there will be a special meeting next month to discuss the matter.
Bloomington-Normal was one of Connell’s stops on a statewide listening tour.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].
