NATICK – The Natick Select Board’s consideration of a “Welcoming Community” policy in connection to immigration and documentation has involved emotions high from those both for and against the policy.
Now, police are involved after those emotions possibly turned criminal actions last week when someone vandalized Select Board Chairwoman Kathryn Coughlin’s car by spray-painting “Deport Illegals” on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
No one has been arrested, police said.
Coughlin declined to comment about the vandalism.
“Until the Board has voted on the immigration documentation policy (yet to be decisively named), I’ll be refraining from comment to any media outlet as Chair and as the owner of the vehicle,” Coughlin said Monday in an email.
Police are investigating vandalism to Select Board Chairwoman Kathryn Coughlin’s vehicle sometime last week.
Natick Police Deputy Police Chief Brian Lauzon said the department would not be making a comment on the incident.
“I am able to confirm that an incident has been reported to us and we are actively conducting an investigation,” Lauzon said in an emailed statement.
Is the ‘Welcoming Community’ policy a ‘Sancturary City’ policy or codifying current practice
The so-called “Welcoming Community” policy is to formalize the current practice used by all town departments, including the police, when it comes to immigration and immigrants. The draft policy says that no department has any authority to enforce immigration law and that they will not ask for immigration paperwork or status, unless required by law.
According to a Select Board fact sheet about the proposed policy “assures the immigrant community, whether documented or undocumented, that they may participate in law enforcement investigations, whether as victims or as witnesses, without fear or retribution.”
It also shields the town from liability if a town employee violates the policy and shields the town’s police department from liabilities of resulting from local enforcement of federal immigration laws.
The policy does not provide housing or legal assistance to documented or undocumented immigrants and does not apply to school employees. The board, in its fact sheet, also said it does not affect any kind of federal funding or conflict with the Natick Police Department’s current policy.
At the Nov. 20 Select Board meeting, Police Chief James Hicks said his department has not and will not enforce federal immigration laws.
“Local police cannot – I repeat – cannot enforce federal laws,” Hicks said.
Several people spoke at the meeting, both for against the proposed policy. The MassGOP has also issued a statement against the proposed policy, saying it turns Natick into a sanctuary city.
Leanne Harris, Massachusetts Republican Party State Committeewoman for the Middlesex and Norfolk District, called the policy reckless in a Nov. 19 statement.
“This proposal puts Natick on a troubling path that prioritizes political posturing over the safety of resident,” she said. “By preventing law enforcement from fully cooperating with federal immigration authorities, the town risks becoming a magnet for criminal activity. We’ve already seen tragic examples across the state where sanctuary policies have failed to protect communities. Natick deserves better.”
When will the Select Board next talk about the policy?
The Select Board will once again discuss the policy at its meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Town Hall. The board has received dozens of emails in both support and against the policy, according to the meeting packet. The board is not expected to vote on the policy until the following meeting on Dec. 18.
As for the vandalism, police ask that anyone with information regarding the incident to call them at 508-647-9520 or go to https://natickma.gov/201/Online-Reporting.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow Norman Miller on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Natick immigration debate leads to vandalism to board chairwoman’s car