Residents clash over immigration during citizen’s petition debate

The final item on the Town Meeting agenda turned out to be one of the most contentious, as discussion on a resolution declaring Lincoln to be a “welcoming, safe town” laid bare the fears of several residents about illegal immigrants. The resolution passed despite a loud chorus of “No!” from a few dozen of the hundreds in attendance.

A group headed by resident Peter Pease asked voters in a citizens’ petition to adopt a resolution declaring Lincoln to be a welcoming, safe town “which resolves to make all residents, workers, and visitors feel safe and secure regardless of immigration status” and for selectmen to support passage of the Massachusetts Safe Communities Act “or comparable legislation.” Undocumented immigrants are sometimes afraid to call the police for help because they are “terrified of being ripped out of their family and deported,” he said.

The measure does not seek any policy changes by Lincoln police, who are not permitted to check the immigration status of a person stopped for an infraction such as a traffic violation, Police Chief Kevin Kennedy told the Board of Selectmen on March 19. For those arrested for a crime or on an outstanding warrant, their fingerprints and other information are automatically sent to federal authorities. However, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled last year that local police may not detain a person who is otherwise free to go solely on the basis of a request from federal immigration authorities, Pease noted.

The resolution “is not in conflict with our practices… we have no authority to run someone through system to see if they’re a citizen or not,” Kennedy said to selectmen. The language of the resolution also specifies that it “shall be interpreted as to not violate any requirements of state or federal law.”

But several residents at Town Meeting objected to the resolution. “This creates an appearance of safe haven for criminals, drugs dealers, and terrorists,” said Stephanie Smoot, urging residents not to “tie the hands of law enforcement.”

“This is totally unnecessary. No one can deny that Lincoln is already a welcoming, safe town,” said Richard Fraiman.

Another unidentified man claimed that the measure’s backers want to “put an end to cooperation” between local and federal law enforcement in matters of undocumented immigrants. At the selectmen’s meeting, he said the resolution’s title was a misnomer, because “a lot of people feel the opposite, that it’s making the town not a safe place… there are many communities in Massachusetts where illegal aliens have been released, they’ve slipped through the cracks, not been reported and committed vicious crimes.

“The first and foremost responsibility of the selectmen is to make sure public safety is the highest priority,” the man said at the selectmen’s meeting. “What you’re doing by this blanket protection is protecting people that do not deserve protection who are actually committing crimes.”

“This resolution cannot cause or dictate inclusion. Welcome is based on whether someone merits your trust and hospitality. It’s an individual matter of the soul, mind and heart,” said Barbara Darling, adding that she was “affected by illegal immigration” when her New York apartment was damaged in the 9/11 attacks.

Maite Fay, another Lincoln resident who is herself an immigrant, said she was “offended” by the resolution. “I can attest that Lincoln is already a safe town,” she said. Her husband Adrian Fay showed a slide of desperately poor people living on trash heaps outside Buenos Aires. “These people came from unrestricted immigration… by bringing in these people without a plan, this city is bankrupt,” he said.

“Everyone here is for legal immigration… but the immigrants today are not the immigrants of the 1800s” who “built a country,” said Ron Darling. Naturalizing all 11 million illegal aliens in the U.S would come at a “huge cost,” he added.

Emotional rebuttals

The remarks prompted many other residents to push back. “This is an opportunity for Lincoln to reset its moral compass. We don’t want undocumented residents to be labeled as criminals,” said Barbara Slayter.

”Anyone in America has basic civil rights, whether they’re documented or not,” said Jessica Bethany. “This is not about encouraging undocumented immigration… it’s so people feel safe enough to report to police any crime they see. It’s just a no-brainer.”

Mark Soukup proposed an amendment to the resolution’s wording that “in 2018, when discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion and national origin continues, and is abetted by the federal government, we must reaffirm our commitment to respect each person’s dignity.”

“I have a severe problem with that language. I don’t think we’re a racist country,” he said. His amendment was voted down and he was prevented from speaking any further by Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden as lines of people stretched out at both microphones behind him

“Many of those who spoke have stressed such distracting, irrelevant scare stories that it convinces me that this motion really is very important,” said Larry Buell. “In the name of humanity, I urge you to vote yes.”

“I too am incredibly rattled and also embarrassed,” said Phoebe Chatfield. “A fundamentally immoral way to fix an immigration system is by throwing people out. I am horrified to hear some of the comments.”

After the 2016 election, “my son was constantly afraid the police would send us back to Nepal. I told him, ‘No, we live in Lincoln, the police are our friends,” said Rakesh Kharmacharya, his voice breaking. “I come away today shocked and baffled at sentiments that I hear expressed which I did not envision. I go away less assured of what I can tell my son.”