Hall County Attorney Marty Klein speaks to Hall County Board of Commissioners about immigration issues at their Feb. 27 meeting, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
The Hall County Board of Commissioners is concerned about being labeled a “sanctuary” county by the Center for Immigration Studies, a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C.
Commissioner Pam Lancaster placed an item on the Feb. 27 agenda stating “discussion and possible action to move forward to remove Hall County from the sanctuary county list.” As Commissioners discussed the issue, one suggestion was to put a statement on the Hall County website stating that Hall County is not a sanctuary county.
Hall County Attorney Marty Klein told CentralNebraskaToday.com that the “sanctuary” label referred to a Feb. 1, 2017, article in the Omaha World-Herald with the headline “Hall County, Grand Island officials reject ‘sanctuary’ label.”
The World-Herald story had a map of the United States showing sanctuary cities, counties, and states. Hall County was on the map. The World-Herald story said, “The list is not an official U.S. government document.” The list came from the Center for Immigration Studies.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, “the Center is animated by a unique pro-immigrant, low-immigration vision which seeks fewer immigrants but a warmer welcome for those admitted.”
“Since our founding in 1985 by Otis Graham Jr., we have pursued a single mission – providing immigration policymakers, the academic community, news media, and concerned citizens with reliable information about the social, economic, environmental, security, and fiscal consequences of legal and illegal immigration into the United States,” the organization’s website said.
Hall County Attorney Marty Klein told Commissioners that there is no legal definition of a sanctuary county. He said the Hall County Jail does not hold people just “to check their immigration status.”
Commissioners Jane Richardson and Lancaster said they would like to see a statement put on Hall County’s website with the message that Hall County is not a sanctuary county.
Lancaster noted that when U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts made a campaign stop in Grand Island on Feb. 21, immigration was a top issue. The campaign stop was called “Border Briefing.” Ricketts wants to see more efforts used to secure the United States’ borders.
Grand Island Latino leader Yolanda Chavez Nuncio was at the Feb. 21 campaign stop and pointed out that some immigrants are escaping violence and going to the United States. Chavez also spoke to Commissioners Feb. 27.
“Why call more attention to this if it doesn’t exist,” Nuncio said, referring to Hall County not being designated as a sanctuary.
“We have people coming in from all over the world. Most are good neighbors,” she said.
Klein told Commissioners that the Hall County Jail and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were in two-way communication with each other. If Hall County were a sanctuary county, that two-way communication would not exist.
It was suggested that Lancaster and Richardson draft a statement that would be placed on the county’s website. The matter would be discussed again at the Commissioners’ next meeting in two weeks.
