GRAND ISLAND — Hall County Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution March 12 that the county is not a sanctuary county for noncitizens.
The resolution was on the Commissioners’ consent agenda, so there was no discussion of the matter. Hall County Commissioner Pam Lancaster had requested that the item be placed on the agenda.
Commissioners discussed the sanctuary county label at their Feb. 27 meeting.
The sanctuary county label is mentioned in newspaper articles including a Feb. 1, 2017, article in the Omaha World-Herald.
The Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that deals with immigration issues gave Hall County the sanctuary county label, according to the 2017 article.
Commissioners plan to place a prominent notice on the Hall County website that Hall County is not a sanctuary county for noncitizens.
In the resolution, it says that various news sources “have recently incorrectly and misleadingly reported that Hall County is a ‘sanctuary county’ for noncitizens.”
In the next sentence, it says that “Hall County is not a ‘sanctuary county’ for noncitizens.”
The resolution continues with these points:
- *Hall County is not legally authorized to detain someone based on their immigration status alone unless directed by a judicial authority.
- *Hall County will continue to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of a noncitizen who has been detailed on a local or state charge within Hall County.
- *Hall County will continue to apply the law to citizens and noncitizens who are arrested within the county.
- *Hall County will continue to cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
