Mayor makes town a sanctuary
By Paul Brubaker
Herald News
Prospect Park – Shortly after Mayor Mohamed Khairullah honored those in the armed forces who sacrificed their lives for their fellow Americans, he signed an executive order Friday night, upholding the rights of those seeking to live in America.
The so-called “sanctuary” order is the first of its kind to be issued in Passaic County and is modeled after an order signed by Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer in December 2004.
The four-page document is largely symbolic, but runs counter to recent ordinances adopted by other municipal governments restricting the rights of unregistered immigrants.
It invokes a U.S. Supreme Court ruling stating that undocumented aliens are protected by the U.S. Constitution and are entitled to the full benefit of municipal services without showing proof of immigration status. The order also prohibits police from asking immigrants for documentation in situations such as traffic stops.
“Basically, what we’re saying is, ‘This is the job of immigration officials,'” Khairullah said. “We’re a municipal government. We’re not going to interfere with the immigration issue. We’re telling our employees to treat everyone the same.”After perusing a copy of the Trenton order on Friday, Police Chief Frank Franco said the measure would not affect police department operations.