Resolution says immigrants safe in county

More than 100 citizens on Wednesday attended a meeting of the Milwaukee County Board's health and human needs committee to voice both support and opposition to a resolution many of them assumed would establish the county as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants during the administration of President Donald Trump.

Neither the original resolution nor a substitute version, both sponsored by Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic, included a reference to sanctuary but both documents stated a goal of keeping the county a "safe" place for immigrants.

Both resolutions oppose "discrimination in all its forms."

The substitute resolution would have set up a county "legal defense fund" to be used to defend immigrants who are faced with deportation. Under the substitute, the County Board would have urged a Milwaukee County sheriff to refuse to participate as a partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in enforcing immigration law.

A majority of the committee did not accept the substitute. After two hours of testimony, a majority of the committee did not recommend board approval of the original resolution.

The County Board will act on the original resolution without a committee recommendation at its Feb. 2 meeting. Dimitrijevic said she would offer her substitute version for debate at that time.