ST. PAUL, Minn. (Feb. 9, 2017) — St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Chief Axtell met Wednesday with community members and local Imams regarding President Donald Trump’s executive orders around immigration.
“Many of our community members whose lives could be affected by these orders are afraid of what this means for them and their families,” Coleman said. “That makes it especially important for us to meet with them to hear their concerns and to reiterate Saint Paul’s commitment to each and every one of its residents, regardless of race, ethnicity or status.”
More than 200 community members attended the meeting at Skyline Towers to hear from the Mayor and Chief about the recent orders and to ask questions. Both the Chief and the Mayor walked through the City’s policies currently in place related to immigration, including the City’s separation ordinance that emphasizes the separate roles of local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.
“It’s important that everyone we serve trusts their police department—but it’s more important for the people we serve to know that we trust them as well,” Axtell said. “Mutual respect and trust are critically important to our ability to keep everyone safe.”
Coleman and Axtell said they would continue to meet with residents to understand their needs and concerns going forward, and to make sure that they continue to feel safe reaching out to their police department and other City staff whenever they are in need.
“In this time of uncertainty, I want to make one thing very clear to our immigrant and refugee neighbors – you are welcome here, you belong here and that will not change,” Coleman said. “Saint Paul is your home and we will get through this together.”
