Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney on Monday issued a statement affirming Richmond’s policy of inclusiveness. His directive ordered city leadership to “protect and promote policies of inclusion for all of its residents, regardless of their national origin, immigration or refugee status, race, color, creed, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or sexual identity.”
Although the statement merely affirms current policy, he is getting a fair amount of criticism for publicly stating that Richmond welcomes immigrants and refugees.
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Background:
Mayor Stoney faced a concervative backlash today after his directive issued Monday in response to the president’s executive orders on immigration, including that the Richmond Police Department will maintain its policy of not asking residents it encounters about their immigration status.
Conservatives were quick to pile on this action.
“Mayor Stoney’s brazen lawlessness is putting Virginians at risk, and they should be stopped at once,” said Trump flunkie and Republican gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart in a statement Tuesday.
Stoney’s press secretary, Jim Nolan, described Stoney’s directive earlier this week as simply reiterating existing policies in an effort to clarify “any misunderstanding or misconceptions that might be out there with regard to what the city is doing for every resident in this community.”
However, the response suggests it might have had the opposite effect in some quarters.
The Immigration Customs Enforcement 287(g) agreements are voluntary and Richmond never has participated. Neither have most law enforcement agencies: According to ICE, only one agency in the state — the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center — participates. Across the country, ICE said, 38 law enforcement agencies currently participate.
Likewise, Republicans zeroed in on Stoney’s directive that the police department “maintain its policy of not inquiring as to the place of birth or immigration status of individuals with whom it comes into contact.”
In addition to being a long-standing city policy, it’s a common policy at police departments around the country, according to immigration advocates. Locally, Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties have all said their officers follow similar policies.
There’s no set definition of what constitutes a “sanctuary city.” San Francisco, among the first self-declared “sanctuary cities,” passed an ordinance in 1989 that prohibits city employees from using city funds or resources to assist ICE. Other localities that have adopted the title have focused on policing policies not unlike those adopted by Richmond and other localities across the country.
Despite avoiding the word “sanctuary” in both his order and his remarks announcing it, Republicans were quick to tag Richmond with the label.
