Mayor: Santa Rosa is not becoming a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants

As protests mounted in the days following Donald Trump’s election upset, Santa Rosa Mayor John Sawyer realized the city must do something to reassure residents who were feeling vulnerable.

“I felt it was important to offer some acknowledgment of that anxiety and perhaps fear and to say ‘we hear you, we understand and feel and are sensitive to that anxiety,’?” Sawyer said last week.

And so at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Sawyer read a statement he said he hoped would convey that support.

“Santa Rosa supports her residents,” Sawyer said.

“Our city organization will not take part in identifying people solely on the basis of their religion, sexual orientation or immigration status. We will continue to be a community that respects the rule of law, of our constitutional rights of free speech, religion, etc. We will continue to value all our residents. We are open to meeting with any leaders in our community who may by concerned and fearful. We are available to discuss what we can do to reassure our community and ensure that everyone feels safe to work, live and play in Santa Rosa.”

The statement - particularly the part about not identifying people based on their immigration status - suggested Sawyer might be steering Santa Rosa toward becoming a sanctuary city, loosely defined as a jurisdiction that declines to share information with federal agents seeking to deport residents.

But Sawyer said his statement was in no way a suggestion that Santa Rosa was considering changing its policies or becoming a sanctuary city.

Such a move would be premature given the highly charged political climate and lack of clear information about what the future holds from a Trump administration, Sawyer said.

“There is so much rhetoric and hyperbole washing around the country right now, especially flowing out of Washington, it wouldn’t be appropriate at this point” to be discussing policy changes, Sawyer said.

Sanctuary cities, a designation that has no official definition but is thought to apply to more than 200 cities around the nation - including San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago - have become a flashpoint since the election.

Trump, who has said he plans to swiftly deport or incarcerate up to 3 million undocumented immigrants, vowed during his campaign to deny federal funding to cities that didn’t cooperate with immigration officials.

Since his election, cities across the nation are bracing for a faceoff over sanctuary policies, with politicians in many cities defiantly reemphasizing their sanctuary status.

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors on Monday passed a resolution that read in part: “That no matter the threats, San Francisco will remain a Sanctuary City. We will not turn our back on the men and women from other countries who help make this city great, and who represent over one third of our population.”

Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Julie Combs said she hopes the city will eventually declare itself a sanctuary city and views Sawyer’s statement as the first step.

“I view the statement as the beginning of the conversation,” Combs said.

And outgoing Councilman Gary Wysocky urged his colleagues to do whatever it takes to protect people who need it in the coming years.

“It will be a time unlike any other, I fear, in our country,” Wysocky said. “I hope I’m wrong.”

Wysocky said he had never seen “such a community-wide gloom” as he saw the day after the election.

“And I’m hopeful that you can bring the rays of sunshine back into those folks’ lives,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 707-521-5207.