Lansing, Michigan, Will No Longer Declare Itself a ‘Sanctuary City’

Michigan’s capital city rescinded its decision to declare itself a “sanctuary city” after the city council held a vote Wednesday evening regarding Lansing’s sanctuary status.

Lansing City Council voted 5-2 to reverse a decision made April 3 in a 6-0 vote that deemed the city a “sanctuary city” in writing, the Detroit Free Press reported.

A letter the city council received from the Lansing Regional Chamber and Michigan Chamber of Commerce urging the council to remove all references to “sanctuary city” from its resolution is behind the change in course, the Associated Press reported.

The term “sanctuary city” has sparked much debate as some cities decide to fight President Trump’s decision to crack down on cities that refuse to have their law enforcement agencies cooperate with U.S. immigration authorities.

“The term ‘sanctuary’ in the resolution has become very problematic and distracting — so distracting in my opinion that’s it’s taken away from the intent of our resolution, which is to protect individuals,” said Councilwoman Judi Brown Clarke. “It’s basically a ‘don’t ask’ policy, which was outlined by the mayor’s executive order and what we had in our policy complements that.”

The council’s decision does not change the recent executive order penned by Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, which prohibits Lansing police officers and city employees from asking about immigration statuses “except as required by federal or state statute or court decision,” M Live reported.