LACEY – A resident asked if Lacey Township would become a sanctuary city in response to President Donald Trump’s orders regarding immigration.
As Trump gave orders requiring local police to assist in federal immigration efforts, several cities declared themselves sanctuary cities. This means that they would not cooperate with the presidential orders. Legal experts continue to sound off about whether Trump’s orders are enforceable, voluntary, or legal.
“Is Lacey going to be a sanctuary city or are we going to deport our cooks and landscaping people?” resident Jesse Ehrnstrom asked the Township Committee at a recent meeting.
Mayor Peter Curatolo said that the town would have to see what the exact order was.
“When edicts come down in writing, we will address them on a case by case basis. We have received no official paperwork from the federal government” about how to act, incarcerate or deport people, he said.
Although he said “Everyone here gets treated with respect,” he did not offer a definitive answer without knowing what the law would be.
“We follow the law in Lacey Township,” he said. “We would have to follow whatever it is.”
