Mayor Stewart Responds to President Trump's Plan to Move Detained Immigrants to Sanctuary Cities

Last week we learned of the President’s abhorrent plan to use families and children detained by the government on our border as political pawns.

On Friday the Mayor appeared on CNN with this message.

The City of Takoma Park has a 30-year commitment to protecting its widely diverse community as a Sanctuary City.

The dedication to our immigrant residents continues today. In Takoma Park, we stand strong against hate and vitriol that spreads ignorance and misinformation. And once again we reiterate our Takoma Park values:

• We are a City with residents and staff from all over the world and we celebrate and cherish our diversity.
• We are a City that welcomes those who are victims of terrorism, violence, or economic upheaval regardless of their national origins.
• We refuse to demonize individuals based on their place of birth, religion, or race.
• We are a City that upholds the right of ALL people to live their lives with dignity and respect.

Today, in the face of hateful, dehumanizing, and blatant lies being espoused by the current occupant of the White House, we remind the world that in Takoma Park we believe in building strong, inclusive, and healthy communities by ensuring that the rights of all are upheld — immigrants, people of different faiths, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, people of color.

We believe our immigration system should prioritize keeping families together and not tearing them apart.

We believe that every individual has an inherent right to be treated with fairness and justice, not with hatred and bigotry.

We are a City dedicated to forging stronger relationships and creating out of our myriad of differences and experiences one community that stands together.

So our message to President Trump – We Will Take Them.