Dale Jackson: Decatur is a sanctuary city — The police chief needs to be fired

Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling has responded to claims that the Decatur Police Department might not support Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by confirming that the police department has been told to stand down on illegal immigration.

The facts here are clear: Decatur is a sanctuary city right now.

The policy apparently went into effect Wednesday, September 25.

If Police Chief Nate Allen did this without Mayor Bowling’s blessing he must be fired.

Policy outlining the Decatur Police Department’s policies related to immigration procedures was recently handed down from Allen. It stated that Decatur police would not assist in ICE’s efforts within their jurisdiction.

According to the new policy, “Individuals may not be detained or arrested solely for a suspected violation of immigration law.”

The policy laid out the exceptions for when DPD could assist ICE, which includes suspected instances of terrorism, espionage or previously deported felons.

Other than that, officers were instructed to “not undertake any immigration-related investigation.”

Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling responded on his Facebook page on Sunday and he is not happy.

1/2 #SanctuaryCities #IllegalAliens #BuildTheWall THANK YOU MAYOR TAB BOWLING! STOPS effort to make Decatur, AL a sanctuary city. FYI-2,000+ Americans killed by illegal aliens each year. Tens of thousands more victims of illegal alien assaults, rapes, burglaries, robberies. Mo pic.twitter.com/dd8wIO0APD — Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) September 30, 2019

Bowling is not only upset about this, but he has also made it clear he wants this policy to be changed, saying, “I will ask Chief Allen to rescind his policy and I am confident our City Council will stand in favor of my statement.”

He stated that as mayor, any policy of this nature was a reflection on him, and needed to go through him moving forward.

“A decision of this nature should always come to the Office of the Mayor before implementing. It is definitely a reflection on my performance and decision making to which I was not involved.”

Bowling went on to say that issues of immigration are federal issues and that Decatur will obey federal immigration laws.

“We will obey, enforce and support the laws, current and future,” he stated.

But he is not the chief of police — Nate Allen is.

The people of Alabama will be watching Decatur to see what Mayor Bowling does next and how the Decatur Police Department came to this decision.

Editor’s Note:

Bowling has since deleted his Facebook post and the City of Decatur has now officially released a statement:

In lieu of any press conferences and in response to concerns voiced regarding General Order 426.0 (Immigration Procedures), the mayor’s office, legal department and police department are working to clarify the policy to correct some misunderstandings or vagueness and to ensure compliance with state and federal requirements. The changes should be made quickly and will be released as soon as completed. It is our desire in the city to fully comply with the letter and spirit of federal and state laws as we work together to protect the people of the city of Decatur.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN