Proud of my town, Saranac Lake, today as our local government has passed a resolution limiting how our police can cooperate with ICE. Here’s David Escobar, writing for the Adirondack Explorer:

The measure bars village police from enforcing federal civil immigration laws and prohibits U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using local officers to conduct investigations or arrests. […]

[O]fficers will not engage with ICE in enforcing civil immigration violations, such as overstaying a visa or entering the country without proper documentation. […]

The resolution also bars local police resources being spent on behalf of federal immigration enforcement, limits information sharing between SLPD and federal immigration enforcement agencies and requires village police to develop a training policy to ensure officer compliance with the resolution.

Our residents put on progressive demonstrations on a nearly daily basis. The main town square I pass every time I drive to or from my house is regularly the site of pro-Ukraine, pro-choice, No Kings, and LGBTQ+ Pride events.

However, this resolution was not a given. We have a Republican mayor and a large portion of our snowbird residents lean conservative. In fact, a similar measure to restrict our cooperation with ICE was introduced last year, but then watered down so much that it became basically useless.

I’m glad to see that we had representatives unwilling to accept that outcome, and continued to pursue a resolution with more teeth, in defiance of the Trump administration.