The city of Lawrence has proclaimed itself a “Welcoming City” to immigrants, and Douglas County plans to follow suit this week.

The city’s recent proclamation declares that Lawrence is “committed to building a welcoming and neighborly atmosphere in our community, where all people, including recent immigrants, are welcome, accepted and integrated.”

The proclamation does not make Lawrence a “Sanctuary City,” a controversial designation that has been in the news recently following the July 1 slaying of a woman in San Francisco by an alleged illegal immigrant with a felony record.

San Francisco has a 1989 law — originally inspired by Central American refugees fleeing violence in their home countries — called the City and County of Refuge ordinance, which prohibits city employees, including law enforcement, from helping federal immigration enforcement efforts unless compelled by court order or state law.

The “Welcoming City” proclamation here has no such purpose, officials emphasized. The full text of the proclamation can be found online at www.lawrenceks.org.

The city’s proclamation was made by Mayor Jeremy Farmer on July 28 at the request of Angela Ferguson, an immigration lawyer from Kansas City, Mo., said Megan Gilliland, the city communications manager.

Ferguson said the requests did not come about because Lawrence and Douglas County are seen as unwelcoming communities; rather, she is continuing the work of two immigrant advocacy organizations, Welcoming America and the Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation.

“We think it’s important to get cities and counties to recognize the contributions of immigrants,” she said. “And the city of Lawrence agreed to do it, and the county is doing it.”

Ferguson said she and other activists have also reached out to other cities in Kansas. Leavenworth and Olathe made similar proclamations in years past, and Hutchinson has been receptive to the request, she said.

Ferguson has the impression that Kansas as a whole had a less-than-welcoming atmosphere for recent immigrants. “I think it’s very welcoming there,” she said of Lawrence and Douglas County. “It’s the state we have a problem with.”

Ferguson said two representatives of the Mexican Consulate in Kansas City, Mo., were present for the city’s proclamation in July.

“They’ve been very supportive of this work across the United States,” she said.

Douglas County Administrator Craig Weinaug confirmed that the county plans to follow in the city’s footsteps this week.

Weinaug said the county plans to use the same proclamation as the city, reworded to fit Douglas County.

He said the proclamation will not make the county a safe haven for illegal immigrants.

“It’s just affirming that we like you even if you speak a different language or come from a different country,” he said.

Sgt. Kristen Dymacek, a spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, agreed with Weinaug, reiterating that Douglas County is not a sanctuary county for illegal immigrants.

Generally when deputies locate anyone who is not living in the country legally they will contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Dymacek said.

If the person has not committed a crime, deputies can’t hold that person, but they do notify DHS and ICE, she said.

If the person has committed a crime, he or she can be arrested, booked into jail and charged for that crime, Dymacek said. At that point deputies contact DHS and ICE, but the suspect is still allowed to post bond.

“Basically what we have to have in order to hold somebody is some sort of court order or hold request, similar to a warrant,” Dymacek said.

While Douglas County deputies do come across people who are living in the country illegally from time to time, Dymacek said it is not common.

The county’s proclamation item appears on this Wednesday’s County Commission agenda, which can be found online at www.douglascountyks.org.