YORK, Pa. — York Mayor Michael Helfrich and City Council President Edquina Washington disagree on an ordinance proposal that Helfrich believes would put a target on the city's back for the upcoming Trump administration.
Washington introduced the York Trust Act in a meeting on Tuesday night, which would prohibit city employees, including police, from asking about residents’ immigration status or working with federal agencies to locate a person based on immigration status unless required to by law.
The proposal is similar to a law passed earlier this year in Lancaster.
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) State Director Daniel Alvalle says the Act, which his organization has long advocated for, would allow York's vast immigrant population to live without fear of a law enforcement crackdown.
"It gives them the security that they need and deserve to be able to live [and] worship in the communities without any fear," Alvalle said.
York Mayor Michael Helfrich opposes the ordinance and says he is worried that the passing of this ordinance would put a target on the city’s back for the incoming Trump administration, which has threatened to strip federal funding from so-called "sanctuary cities."
House Republicans passed a bill earlier this year called the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act, which would make "jurisdictions that provide benefits to aliens who are present in the United States without lawful status under the immigration laws... ineligible for Federal funds intended to benefit such aliens."
"This states that we will lose our federal funding," Helfrich said of the bill, which passed the House but was not taken up by the Democratic-controlled Senate. "I don't want us to be conflated with a sanctuary city because of passing this act. We aren't a sanctuary city. We are a welcoming city, and we love immigrants here. We treat everybody the same. We protect everyone the same, but I don't feel like passing this legislation at this time is a benefit for our city."
Then-York Mayor Kim Bracey signed an executive order in 2017, which prevented city employees from inquiring about the immigration status of residents or arresting residents solely for immigration violations. The order remains on the books in York.
"We are already doing everything to make sure that immigrants are protected here [and] that they're treated the same as everybody else," Helfrich said. "An extra piece of legislation on this hot political topic with a new incoming administration just seems unnecessary,"
Helfrich asked the City Council to wait until the Trump administration acts before taking any measures, but Washington says those threats do not outweigh the need to protect residents from immigration enforcement.
"No amount of money is worth the exchange for the freedom and safety of our residents here in the city of York," Washington said.