WHITE PLAINS – The City of White Plains is another municipality that does not adopt the term “sanctuary city,” Mayor Thomas Roach said Saturday. He was responding to President Trump’s executive order threatening those communities with a loss of federal aid if they do not turn in illegal immigrants.
Immigration is part of the city’s national story, said the mayor. “It was an immigrant, Alexander Hamilton, whose command of artillery held off British and Hessian troops during the Battle of White Plains, allowing General Washington to preserve his army, and ultimately, our nation,” Roach said. “The contributions of immigrants to our city and our nation have continued to this day.”
By not accepting the term “sanctuary city” in White Plains, the mayor said police officers “have not and will not inquire regarding an individual’s immigration status.” Enforcement of federal immigration law “lies with federal enforcement agencies not local police forces and we proceed accordingly,” Roach said.
The city’s practices “represent proper community policing, focused on building and maintaining trust and cooperation between the police and the community,” the mayor said. All of the city’s policies comply with the law and the Constitution. Roach said the city is “prepared to defend them in a court of law if necessary.”
City officials in New Rochelle have issued a similar statement regarding their policy.
