The modified Safe and Welcoming ordinance was approved Thursday night on a 6-4 vote by the Unified Government Commission.
The vote was after around three hours or so of discussion, including organized opposition and advocacy that included several persons who turned out at City Hall lobby and on Zoom to speak. Advocates held a rally outside City Hall.
The new ordinance, which applies only to Kansas City, Kansas, and not to other communities in Wyandotte County, says that UG resources cannot be used to enforce federal immigration law, and also creates a community identification card for those who do not have an ID card. It also says the UG is an inclusive and welcoming city for immigrant members of the community.
Irene Caudillo, executive director of El Centro, said passing the ordinance would not only affirm but would go beyond the touted description of this community as diverse. It would make sure all residents feel safe and respected. She added the ordinance had no provision that required law enforcement to bend or break the laws for anyone. Some advocates said the ordinance would make it easier for crime victims to work with police.
A retired police officer, Duane Beth, told the commission during the meeting that this ordinance would cause more problems than it would fix. He said a third-party administrator of the ID card program would not have accountability.
UG Commissioner Christian Ramirez said the ordinance is something to make the community better and greater. “To hear the rhetoric that all we immigrants bring is violence disappoints me very much so,” Commissioner Ramirez said. Immigrants are helping to make the community better, he said. He also thanked the mayor for putting the item on the agenda, as some commissioners had asked for a few years, and it hadn’t been placed on the agenda until now.
UG Commissioner Harold Johnson said he was the first UG commissioner to support the proposed ordinance, back in 2019. They held two public sessions on the topic.
This ordinance will help immigrants as well as the elderly, people released recently from correctional institutions and others, he said. Others may include victims of domestic violence who have lost their IDs when they suddenly moved, and those who have been evicted without having the opportunity to get their IDs.
The ordinance also had the support of Commissioners Melissa Bynum and Andrew Davis.
Mayor Tyrone Garner broke a 5-5 tie on an earlier substitute motion by Commissioner Tom Burroughs to table the ordinance, then the mayor moved forward on the original motion.
“I made a commitment to this community that I would not sit on this and I would bring it forward,” Mayor Garner said. “We owe it to the people of Wyandotte County that we make these hard decisions.”
Opponents of the ordinance called for a vote of the people on the issue, however, the way the laws are written, that would be difficult, according to attorneys. A ballot initiative, brought forward through a petition signed by 25 percent of the voters who turned out in the previous election, could take place, according to attorneys. If it is presented, then the commission could decide whether to pass the ordinance or put it on the ballot, and if a majority passed it, it would become law for 10 years. The UG also could take an advisory election among the registered voters, but it would not be binding on the commission and would cost more than $80,000, according to information from the UG attorneys.
There also were comments from Commissioners Burroughs and Mike Kane that community residents said they did not have enough information about it, and the two commissioners supported a community educational effort.
Mayor Garner said, however, that the issue has been out there for about five years and information has been available to him and other newly elected officials who sought it out. They also placed information about it on the UG’s website, and discussed it at a January UG committee meeting that is available online for viewing.
“When I looked at this initiative, I saw it as something that would foster unity, opportunity and hope in Wyandotte County, especially being one of the most diverse communities in the United States,” Mayor Garner said.
“We’re a united Wyandotte County, we’re a united community,” Garner said. “I care about people, I believe this commission cares about people, I believe most people in this community care about anyone that wants to all Wyandotte County home, and that’s a message of love.
“Love that we need to have for one another in Wyandotte County, because we are a unified community. No one should be left behind, when we talk about people and people’s lives. No one should be feeling disenfranchised,” Mayor Garner said.
He quoted from the Declaration of Independence, and said approving the ordinance was the right thing to do for Wyandotte County and for people’s lives.
The ordinance had been pending before the UG Commission for around five years, and it was not placed on the agenda for the past few years.
The compromise ordinance was worked on by attorneys, who removed various provisions from an earlier version of the ordinance to lessen the liability for the UG.
The ordinance applies to the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, and Chief Karl Oakman said they haven’t notified federal immigration agencies in recent years about individuals’ immigration status.
The ordinance does not apply to the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office, which as an elected county office is not under the direction of the UG Commission concerning its department’s policies. The sheriff’s office notifies immigration officials of immigration status if it has been requested to do so about specific individuals, according to information presented Thursday.
Also under the ordinance, the BPU does not have to accept the new ID cards if it does not want to, according to attorneys.
Commissioner Andrew Davis took offense at a remark made during the public hearing by a resident who was strongly opposed to the ordinance. The resident said she had access to phone numbers when the citizens need to make a call, and she said she was not talking about calling the police department or fire department. Davis felt threatened by the remarks.
Commissioner Burroughs responded that not until the commissioner made his comments did he hear that white supremacy and racism had become an issue. “This is not what this discussion should be about,” Burroughs said.
More information about the meeting, including public comments by many speakers, is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGfQkbCorks.
To see an earlier story about a UG committee where this topic was discussed in January, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/modified-safe-and-welcoming-ordinance-receives-committee-approval/.
