BEND, OR -- Bend City Councilors signed a resolution, last week, declaring Bend a “Welcoming City.” But, Mayor Casey Roats says the misunderstanding is from people who thought the unanimous agreement was a move to become a sanctuary city.
Mayor Roats tells KBND News, "By no means does Bend City Council make any statements about federal immigration policy, and certainly the city of Bend will continue to do, as it always has, adhere to state law when it comes to law enforcement policies." He adds, "I don’t blame anybody for drawing the conclusion that we must’ve signed on to be a sanctuary city. But, you would not have had a unanimous city council support Bend signing on to be a sanctuary city. This really was around this spirit of being welcoming – and they’re even talking of being welcoming of tourists, being welcoming of our visitors, being welcoming of people who have come here legally and are part of our workforce and how important they are."
