FAIRBANKS — Mayor Jim Matherly said he and City Attorney Paul Ewers would explore the possibility of sanctuary city status after a dozen people asked the City Council for the declaration during its meeting Monday night at City Hall.
Spurred by President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, 12 Fairbanksans spoke out against the executive order — and xenophobia — during the public commenting period.
A sanctuary city shelters immigrants who are living illegally in the U.S.
“I urge you to make Fairbanks a sanctuary city,” Rose O’Hara said. “To publicly declare its opposition to fear, hate and injustice. We know it’s the right thing to do. We have a template. Look in your hearts and the Constitution.”
O’Hara told the council how her grandparents fled Ireland because of famine, and how a Jewish relative fled Poland during the Nazi invasion. She said Irish and Jewish immigrants were unpopular at the time her family members came to the U.S.
“Immigrants are what make America great.” she said.
Jack Ewers made it clear his views did not reflect the views of his father, who is the city attorney.
“There’s a problem with the rhetoric and narrative. It seeks to dehumanize them,” Ewers said of some people’s attitudes toward immigrants and refugees being terrorists. “This rhetoric needs to be done away with.”
Ewers talked about how young white men, such as Dylan Roof (who confessed to murdering nine black people June 17, 2015, at a church in South Carolina), had committed acts of terrorism on U.S. soil. He said the same rhetoric people use against refugees easily could be used against young white men such as himself.
“A lot of the people who commit terrorism are young, white, Christian males,” Ewers said. “All I ask is that we not be frightened by refugees.”
One member of the public did speak against becoming a sanctuary city. Darlene Herbert said Fairbanks should take care of its own people before taking in refugees.
Matherly said he is not an expert on sanctuary cities, so he and City Attorney Paul Ewers would research the issue. He said members of the council also likely would do so.
“I don’t know the role Fairbanks could play,” Matherly said. “I hear you.”
A few of the council members weighed in on the subject, including Jerry Cleworth.
“To get into national issues requires a lot of work,” Cleworth said. “There are so many we could get involved in. State issues, too. It gets difficult to run a city, and I think we can get way off focus. I have strong opinions on that, but I don’t want to bore you with them.”
Councilwoman Valerie Therrien said she was very interested in Fairbanks becoming a sanctuary and would look into it.
Councilwoman June Rogers said Fairbanks is a compassionate place.
“I can think of no finer action than to pursue that,” Rogers said. “We welcome people here.”
Councilwoman Joy Huntington said the action of becoming a sanctuary city would be in line with her personal values. She said she wasn’t sure it would happen, but she said the meeting was inspiring.
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