Mayor Regina Romero/Kelly Presnell
/ Arizona Daily Star 2019
By Justin Sayers | Arizona Daily Star
In the first meeting under new Mayor Regina Romero, the Tucson City Council will vote on whether to take a stance against the Trump administration’s enforcement of Migrant Protection Protocols that were recently expanded to Arizona’s border with Mexico.
The issue, which was added late to the agenda by Romero and Councilman Steve Kozachik, would serve as the city’s official stance against the protocols, which call for migrants seeking asylum who cross in Arizona to be bused back to Mexico through Texas while they await their court hearing. The policy is also known as “remain in Mexico.”
The item also asks the federal government to release humanitarian funding to the city, which has provided care for asylum seekers.
Romero said prior to her Monday inauguration that several people were disappointed with the results of Proposition 205, the “sanctuary city” initiative, which would have limited the circumstances in which police could ask about people’s immigration status.
