*Please only sign this petition if you are a current resident of Fairfield, CT*

Fairfield has a significant immigrant population made up of residents from a variety of countries who contribute in many vital ways to making our town a vibrant community. About 11 percent of our residents are foreign born, including 6 percent who are under the age of 18. Our community is made up of a tapestry of residents from such countries as Portugal, Brazil, Mexico and Syria. But many of these residents are living in fear of the new presidential Executive Order that targets immigrants for deportation and seeks to turn local police forces into federal enforcement agents.

This action makes our town less safe because if an immigrant is a victim or witness to a crime they will be fearful of approaching our local police. In fact, a recent study based on an analysis of FBI crime data found that most counties with sanctuary policies have notably lower crime rates than comparable communities without these policies. Another study that analyzed FBI and census data from 1980-2010 found that among men ages 18 to 49, immigrants were far less likely than native-born Americans to engage in criminal behavior.  

All over the US, hundreds of localities, including East Haven, Hartford and New Haven, have adopted policies to improve public safety and prevent federal overreach by separating their local police from immigration enforcement, which is a strictly federal function.

 In a sanctuary city, officials implement policies to restrict local police from turning immigrants over to federal immigration agents and declare in no uncertain terms that immigrants are welcome. The policies comply with federal law, do not impede federal immigration officials from doing their jobs, and do not seek to allow towns to harbor dangerous undocumented criminals.  For all these reasons, sanctuary city polices are supported by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which represents more than 60 of the nation’s largest police departments. 

Without these measures, undocumented immigrants are left vulnerable to racial profiling, detention, and deportation under the new federal order that greatly expands the definition of illegal immigrants.

We urge you to join us to declare publicly that Fairfield is a welcoming city and immigrants have the same human rights afforded to all our residents.  Please let our elected town officials know you are in support of measures to keep Fairfield a safe community for all.