FRAMINGHAM — The seven candidates for mayor split Wednesday on the question of whether Framingham should become a “sanctuary city," disagreeing on the strategies the community should employ to protect residents from federal immigration enforcement.

Meeting for their first debate, the five men and two women seeking to be mayor were asked whether they would embrace the sanctuary label.

While all expressed support for the goals of other sanctuary communities, such as Somerville and Cambridge — which limit their cooperation with immigration officers — only four said they would support adopting a sanctuary designation for Framingham, which is home to a sizable immigrant population.

Candidate Priscila Sousa, a native of Brazil who came to the United States as a child, said the sanctuary label is vague and doesn’t offer sufficient protection to local immigrants. Sousa, who lived for a time in Framingham as an undocumented immigrant, said the move would make Framingham a target of the federal government, which has threatened to cut funding for sanctuary communities.

“There’s no protection," Sousa said. "I’m more in favor of us having some policy here working with our local law enforcement and truly protecting our immigrant population.”

Yvonne Spicer, a longtime Framingham teacher and current executive at the Museum of Science in Boston, agreed the sanctuary label would be harmful. As mayor, Spicer said she would focus on keeping “all people safe.”

“Part of keeping everyone safe is not necessarily having people feel scared,” she said, “and raising the fear that is happening right now today.”

Former State Rep. John Stefanini, another opponent, said he supports the Safe Communities Act, legislation that would make Massachusetts a sanctuary state, but wouldn’t move to embrace the label within Framingham’s borders alone. Stefanini said the community doesn’t need labels or “expensive housing or legal bills” to protect residents in workplaces, homes or houses of worship.

“We need to make sure we're communicating and working with all communities within Framingham to make sure that we are safe,” he said. “Framingham has, and always will be, a welcoming community."

Among those who backed the sanctuary proposal was retired Framingham police officer Benjaman Neves-Grigg, a former U.S. Marine whose wife has Brazilian heritage. Neves-Grigg said he would “draw the line” at shielding people accused of crimes, “but other than that, medical care, police sources, those things should all be available to all the residents, regardless of nationality."

Dhruba Sen, a social justice activist and longtime consultant in the high-tech industry, offered similar rationale, saying sanctuary cities don't protect criminals or fugitives. He also highlighted a California judge’s recent ruling that federal funding cannot be withheld from sanctuary cities.

Framingham lawyer Mark Tilden, another backer, said Framingham already adheres to sanctuary principles because its police force doesn’t turn immigrants over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Framingham Police Department's written policies currently prohibit officers from investigating a suspect’s immigration or travel status if the sole purpose is to determine whether they’re in the country lawfully, or to facilitate their deportation.

When the department receives requests to hold subjects on 48-hour ICE detainers, police typically hold them until the following day, allowing a bail commissioner at the district court to determine how to proceed.

Reflecting on his experience in the local courts, Tilden said the entire community appears to be “under siege,” with ICE agents showing up at courthouses and arresting people accused of minor offenses.

"I find this infuriating,” Tilden said. “ICE is simply enforcing a failed immigration policy that Washington can't fix. They are tearing families apart."

While he supports becoming a sanctuary city, candidate Joshua Horrigan said he takes issue with the policies used by other sanctuary communities. Horrigan, a pastor and traveling youth mentor, did not specify his objections, but said he’s open to “taking the very best of sanctuary cities and adding our own spin on it.”

"As a leader, our job is not to back down because it’s not popular,” Horrigan said. “We should be bold. I've never known Framingham or anyone from this town or city to be afraid of anything."

Wednesday's debate at The Heritage was the most substantive meeting to date of the seven mayoral candidates, who face a preliminary election Sept. 26. The two candidates with the highest vote totals will advance to Framingham’s Nov. 7 city election.

The event was moderated by WCVB-TV reporter Ted Reinstein, who quizzed the candidates on topics ranging from the serious — such as tackling the opioid crisis and challenges in the school system — to the whimsical.

One query probed little-known facts about the candidates, revealing Spicer's relish for boxing, Neves-Grigg's affinity for cowboy boots, Sousa's left-handedness, Stefanini's early career in a painting company, Sen's involvement with a math club, Horrigan's affection for a childhood Winnie the Pooh doll and Tilden's skills as a juggler and handyman.

In the area of economic development, the candidates were asked how they would create jobs and address blight and a visible lack of vitality downtown.

Relying on the sizable entrepreneurial community in Framingham, Sousa said she would streamline the permitting process and reevaluate the town’s bureaucracy. Echoing that sentiment, Neves-Grigg said he would look to rebuild the town’s economic base by bringing a mix of homes and retail to unused shopping plazas.

“I want to streamline the process that is used for permitting and licensing establishments so that we can get businesses into Framingham — make it more welcoming for new businesses," he said.

For Tilden, the answer lies in creating an overlay district downtown to loosen permitting, zoning and signage rules. Waltham and other communities enjoyed success with the same strategy, he said.

Alluding to his campaign’s tagline, “Smart City,” Sen said he would develop the community’s brand as an attractive destination for high-tech companies such as Google and Microsoft, which have offices in nearby Cambridge.

"Just like when you want to sell a product, you know, you need to have a branding for the product,” he said.

Spicer said she would push to attract businesses that offer not only employment, but a living wage to their workers, tapping her connections as a member of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, a public policy organization comprised of executives from some of the state's largest employers.

Horrigan advocated a more immediate approach — what he called a “shock” strategy that would eliminate the stigma that surrounds Framingham’s downtown.

Looking at other communities that were successful, Stefanini said redeveloping downtown isn’t complicated — it requires creating a plan and sticking to it, using “every tool in our municipal toolbox.”

"We do not walk the walk,” he said. “We talk it, but we don't walk it. We need to support our local businesses, and we need to work with them case by case to bring them in."

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin