100 signatures reached
To: Saranac Lake Village Board
In Support of the "Safeguarding Residents" Bill
Immigrants are a vital part of our community. They work as home health aides, hospitality workers, cashiers, educators, and everything in between. The term immigrant includes lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders), people with J-1 visas to work seasonal jobs, refugees who have fled from war, and immediate relatives of US citizens. Regardless of a person’s immigration status, they have come to our community to make a better life for themselves. They pay taxes on their income and purchases like any other resident of our village. In a time when the population of our village is declining (approximately 5,400 in 2010 to around 4,700 in 2025) we need workers to support the businesses residents rely on, as well as those businesses that support the increasing volume of tourists.
With federal immigration enforcement increasing in our communities, all of our residents: immigrants and non-immigrants, documented and undocumented folks feel less safe. There are larger checkpoints and agents dressed in plain clothes. Members of our community and nearby communities have been taken into custody, including the nine workers from the Tupper Lake paper mill who had valid US work authorizations. ICE is not following due process for enforcing immigration laws. This is what is especially concerning to members of our community. School children are fearful that their friends and classmates are not going to show up to school; a family who had “Temporary Protected Status” was given notice to leave the country within 7 days; a college student is afraid to leave campus. Local businesses that perform vital services in our community are being forced to reduce operations due to workers’ fear of ICE, regardless of the employees’ immigration status.
This fear of being discriminated against on the basis of perceived immigration status extends to residents reporting real crimes in our community. People are unlikely to report something illegal or dangerous that they are witnessing if they are afraid they will be arrested for their immigration status. This makes our community a less safe place for everyone.
Giving the residents and visitors of Saranac Lake the reassurance that our police department will not discriminate on the basis of perceived immigration status and will not collaborate with ICE would be a weight off the shoulders of many. The Saranac Lake Police Department and Village Board have worked hard to build a positive relationship with the community, and this is being fractured by the refusal to give residents this simple reassurance. The Village Board has the power to pass a bill stating what the Saranac Lake Police Department “shall” or “shall not” do, and it feels intuitive to do this in a context that is already supported by the police department’s handbook.
Please Pass the “Safeguarding our Residents and Financial Resources” bill.
Sincerely,
Residents of Saranac Lake
With federal immigration enforcement increasing in our communities, all of our residents: immigrants and non-immigrants, documented and undocumented folks feel less safe. There are larger checkpoints and agents dressed in plain clothes. Members of our community and nearby communities have been taken into custody, including the nine workers from the Tupper Lake paper mill who had valid US work authorizations. ICE is not following due process for enforcing immigration laws. This is what is especially concerning to members of our community. School children are fearful that their friends and classmates are not going to show up to school; a family who had “Temporary Protected Status” was given notice to leave the country within 7 days; a college student is afraid to leave campus. Local businesses that perform vital services in our community are being forced to reduce operations due to workers’ fear of ICE, regardless of the employees’ immigration status.
This fear of being discriminated against on the basis of perceived immigration status extends to residents reporting real crimes in our community. People are unlikely to report something illegal or dangerous that they are witnessing if they are afraid they will be arrested for their immigration status. This makes our community a less safe place for everyone.
Giving the residents and visitors of Saranac Lake the reassurance that our police department will not discriminate on the basis of perceived immigration status and will not collaborate with ICE would be a weight off the shoulders of many. The Saranac Lake Police Department and Village Board have worked hard to build a positive relationship with the community, and this is being fractured by the refusal to give residents this simple reassurance. The Village Board has the power to pass a bill stating what the Saranac Lake Police Department “shall” or “shall not” do, and it feels intuitive to do this in a context that is already supported by the police department’s handbook.
Please Pass the “Safeguarding our Residents and Financial Resources” bill.
Sincerely,
Residents of Saranac Lake
Why is this important?
ICE is increasing its reach throughout the country, and local police forces are being asked to assist in doing the duties of the federal government. Section 287 (g) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act states that collaboration with federal officers is optional, and we do not want our police force to take up this option. Our neighbors are living in fear that they will be arrested by federal immigration officers. Our property taxes should go towards making the Village of Saranac Lake a better place for everyone to live in and visit, not making it worse for a select few.
Please only sign if you are a resident of the Village of Saranac Lake.