The Muskegon County Board of Commissioners was scheduled to consider a resolution Tuesday that would make the area a “welcoming county,” but the resolution was removed from the agenda after public backlash.
Nonetheless, protesters from showed up at Tuesday’s meeting to voice their opposition. Reporters on the ground were stating that the room was packed well ahead of the commissioners’ 3:30 meeting.
Room is already packed, 30 min before Muskegon Co. commissioners meet. Welcoming County resolution was tabled for now but angry Republicans skeptical of becoming a sanctuary county are here to make sure they’re heard. @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/FntGQCQAwN
— Ahtra Elnashar (@AhtraElnashar) September 10, 2019
A packed room ahead of the Muskegon county commissioners meeting. This after a resolution made it to the agenda for to make the county “Welcoming County” pic.twitter.com/IOQE2PDlv4
— Whitney Burney (@WhitneyOnAir) September 10, 2019
The resolution was introduced by Commissioner Marcia Hovey-Wright, who decided to remove the resolution from the agenda Tuesday morning to allow more time for review by county attorneys, Fox 17 reports.
The language of the resolution states that “all people, including immigrants, are respected and vital to our shared prosperity.”
“Muskegon County is home to organizations led by and serving immigrants and refugees; and Muskegon County encourages our businesses, civic groups, government agencies, and other community institutions to undertake their own initiatives, beyond this resolution, to make Muskegon County a welcoming and diverse place for new residents from other countries,” the resolution continues.
Republican critics began circulating a flyer that called the resolution the first step in a “process to make Muskegon County a sanctuary county.”
The Muskegon County Republican Party encouraged its followers on Facebook to attend Tuesday’s meeting and let the commissioners “know where you stand on this issue.”
At first, Hovey-Wright decided to add the word “legal” before “immigrant” in the resolution in an attempt to quiet her critics, but the author of the resolution, Don Munski, told Fox 17 that adding the word “legal” was unnecessary.
“I think the problem with adding ‘legal’ is that it differentiates us and that’s not necessary and it’s now about legal or undocumented people being in the country,” he said. “It’s about welcoming everyone because there are people in this community who are discriminated against and they have been longtime members of the community.”
Hovey-Wright claimed that the resolution had “nothing to do with sanctuary cities.”
“That was made up,” she added.
Nonetheless, many residents still commented on the item during Tuesday’s meeting and said it would “bring crime” to the area, according to WOOD TV reporter Whitney Burney.
Progress Michigan released a statement Tuesday on the resolution and encouraged the commissioners to “swiftly pass” the measure.
Statement from @ProgressMich on Muskegon County commissioners considering Welcoming County resolution: pic.twitter.com/0DDBmn5ch6
— Ahtra Elnashar (@AhtraElnashar) September 10, 2019
“Passing a resolution to make a city more welcoming to immigrants and refugees is the first step in embracing diversity and valuing the dignity of people who want to call Michigan home,” the group said. “There is a growing Latinx community on the West side of the state, and in these times when families are worried about being separated, Muskegon should swiftly pass this resolution and tell its residents that they value them, no matter the circumstances.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Muskegon County Protesters” by Whitney Burney.
