GINI Responds to Reports that Passing Anti-ICE Resolution Could Affect Federal Funding
The Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative (GINI) is responding to reports that passing a resolution that opposes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could affect federal funding for the city and county.
For the past few months, GINI has been campaigning for the City of Gainesville and Alachua County governments to pass a resolution that upholds the rights of Gainesville/Alachua County immigrants and stands against local ICE operations, which are primarily conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol and local law enforcement through 287(g) agreements.
On June 25, Jacob Torner with the Task Force for Ending Homelessness sent City of Gainesville Special Projects Administrator Phil Mann the following email:
“If the City adopts a resolution consistent with what has been requested at recent public meetings regarding generally lawful immigration enforcement, I have concerns that HUD and the federal government could view Alachua County/Gainesville less favorably in the award of critical grants upon which our community relies.
The current HUD CoC NOFOs contain provisions requiring compliance with the Executive Order, Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders, which directs HUD to ensure that funds awarded to communities do not ‘facilitate the subsidization or promotion of illegal immigration, or abet so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation.’
Additionally, the NOFOs state, 'Before making any awards, including renewal awards, HUD will evaluate each applicant's likelihood of successfully carrying out the project. This assessment helps identify risks that may affect the advancement toward or the achievement of a project's goals and objectives.' The NOFO further provides that, as part of this risk evaluation, HUD will look at ‘public sources like news reports.’
There are already a number of news reports on this topic, with future expected publications given the commission direction in this.
We are currently pursuing more than $11 million in new and renewal HUD funding through this summer's Continuum of Care competitions for homeless, domestic violence, and sexual assault programs serving Gainesville and the surrounding rural areas.
I believe it is appropriate for the City to consider whether the adoption of such a resolution could have unintended consequences for continued and future state and federal funding opportunities that serve as a lifeline for thousands of Gainesville and Alachua County residents who experience homelessness or need to flee domestic violence.
I just wanted to bring this to your attention. No follow-up is necessarily needed.”
“The language within the proposed resolution has been reviewed by multiple attorneys with these exact concerns in mind,” stated coordinator for the GINI Initiative Ethan Maia de Needell “There is nothing within either our petition or resolution that would violate state or federal ‘anti-sanctuary’ legislation, laws that have specific and narrow definitions.”
According to a press release by GINI, “In only 10 months, over 160 immigrant neighbors from our community have been arrested and sent to ICE detention, the vast majority of whom had committed either no crime or only a minor traffic violation. Those who have been taken, predominantly by ICE-deputized Florida Highway Patrol Troopers, include neighbors who have lived in our city and county for over a decade, parents, high school students, and business owners. Those left behind or simply living in this environment are terrified their own lives may be violently disrupted in a single moment because of a faulty brake light or forgetting to put their turn signal on in time. Despite this, there has been no formal acknowledgement by local elected officials of this frightening and unjust environment for the over 30,000 immigrant community members in our city and county who are so critical to our flourishing. Not only does the resolution affirm the rights of our immigrant neighbors, but would also take a tangible step towards creating more equal access to critical resources at the city through the passing of a language access plan.”
Maia de Needell said, “We stand confident in the language of our resolution, and we demand more from our leaders than to fall into this age-old trap… to not self-censor out of fear and to stand boldly for the rights and inclusion of all our neighbors.”
The proposed resolution reads as follows:
“WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville is a growing, multiethnic and multicultural community; and
WHEREAS, Gainesville is an international city with over 10% of its neighbors coming from countries all over the world who have come to work, study, and build families here; and
WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville relies on its immigrant neighbors, who have provide an outsized contribution to our city’s scientific research, the labor force both in STEM and general, educational, and professional services, and which provides millions of dollars in state and local taxes every year; and
WHEREAS, new and existing immigrant detention centers throughout Florida, which hold many of our neighbors, have repeatedly been reported to commit human rights abuses and deprive the local community of funds and access to emergency services; and
WHEREAS, over 1/2 of immigrants being detained in our county have no criminal conviction, and the majority of those with a criminal charge committed a non-violent offense dispels the myth of the national immigration enforcement’s efforts being focused on the “worst of the worst”; and
WHEREAS, Florida leads the country in immigration arrests, predominantly through 287(g) agreements between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local and state law enforcement agencies; and
WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville is committed to complying with the laws of the State of Florida and the ordinances of Alachua County regarding law enforcement, ensuring the safety of our community and preventing biased policing, excessive use of force, and any infringement upon residents’ 4th and 5th Amendment rights; and
WHEREAS, the reported manner in which immigration enforcement has taken place across the country and in our state has infringed upon the rights and lives of many of our neighbors and come under heavy criticism, including by the Chair of Florida’s State Board of Immigration Enforcement; and
WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville is committed to the importance of protecting and raising residents’ awareness and understanding of their Constitutional rights and has the critical role in creating an environment where those rights are known and respected; and
WHEREAS, a language access plan for the City of Gainesville helps to ensure no community or group receives preferential treatment, and as our city is made up of thousands of limited English proficient neighbors; and
WHEREAS, a primary objective of the City of Gainesville is to protect the public health, safety and welfare of its residents, businesses, workforce, and visitors;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GAINESVILLE CITY COMMISSIONERS, FLORIDA:
The Gainesville City Commissioners hereby unequivocally and categorically opposes the illicit and discriminatory immigration enforcement actions taking place in our state, whether by ICE or 287(g)-deputized state and local law enforcement; the encroachment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing and detention facilities in our region; And, therefore, commits to passing a language access plan; and ensuring our neighbors understand their Constitutional rights and that they are welcome in our community.”
