Owens criticizes ICE, outlines resident protection at CNY Solidarity Coalition
Mayor Sharon Owens criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an appearance at a CNY Solidarity Coalition meeting Sunday. The newly elected mayor outlined how she would protect Syracuse residents from ICE activity. Eli Schwartz | ASST. Photo Editor
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Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an appearance at a Sunday meeting with the CNY Solidarity Coalition.
Owens spoke with community members and advocates about how she planned to protect residents and the role Syracuse law enforcement would play if ICE were to enter the city.
Since President Donald Trump began his second term last January, there have been several instances of ICE arrests in Syracuse. In September, two Syracuse restaurant owners were detained by ICE followed by two SUNY Upstate Medical University employees in October.
“It is my job to continue to reassure the people of Syracuse that the policy of the Syracuse Police Department is not to act as ICE agents in the city of Syracuse,” Owens said.
Owens said the police’s priority is public safety, not immigration enforcement.
The city relies on community members to report ICE sightings, as the mayor’s office doesn’t get notice from ICE when it operates in Syracuse, Owens said. Phone calls and Facebook posts are primary ways the city has been notified in the past, she said.
Owens’ presentation ended with a Q&A session where Syracuse resident Amanda Benhart asked about Syracuse’s status as a sanctuary city.
“If Syracuse continues to call itself a sanctuary city, it’s going to bring issues the city doesn’t need due to ‘internal policies,’” Owens answered.
Former Mayor Stephanie Miner declared Syracuse a sanctuary city in 2017, but her successor, Ben Walsh, began to avoid using the term throughout his term. Owens said calling Syracuse a sanctuary city would invite more problems for Syracuse and claimed local law enforcement engaging in ICE activities is “not going to happen under me.”
Benhart said she understood the response and appreciated Owens’ level of transparency. Sunday marked Benhart’s first official meeting with the coalition, and she urged other local residents to attend and hear directly from political figures like Owens.
“I’m using this momentum everybody else is using to get myself more involved,” Benhart said. “I live here. I care about the people that live here, and I’m making an effort.”
In addition to city residents, Syracuse University students also attended, such as sophomores Quinn Hendel and Henry Joyce, who recently joined the coalition. The two attended one of the coalition’s pop-up rallies at Destiny USA on Sunday and urged more SU students to get involved.
After Owens’ appearance, the coalition held its regular committee meetings, where the general members split into groups to discuss their specific goals. Committees include the State Legislative Action Team and the Climate Justice Team. The protest team made its final preparations for its Monday Ice Out for Good rally.
“We’re seeing ICE ramping up their efforts here in Syracuse, and even with what happened in Minneapolis, it can happen anywhere,” Tammy Honeywell, one of the protest organizers, said. “We need to send a message that we’re not going to stand by for it.”
Honeywell further explained that the coalition is working toward social justice for Syracuse residents and that 10 different local organizations have come together to plan to protest including the coalition, the Syracuse Peace Council and the Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network.
Throughout her mayoral campaign Owens highlighted her support for immigrants in the city and told the coalition she believes no humans are illegal and should not be viewed as criminals based on immigration status.
“The diversity of this city is what makes us the best that there is,” Owens said.
