Albany County is looking to join a growing number of municipalities across the country in declaring their borders welcoming to all cultures and backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, faith or national origin.

“It’s really aimed at making sure immigrants who are living in Albany County know that they’re safe,” said county Legislator Sam Fein, D-Albany, who is sponsoring the proposed law. “They don’t have to worry about local law enforcement investigating their citizenship status. It’s sending a message that we’re a welcoming place for all.”

Fein said proposed Local Law “R” is like other communities that have declared their boundaries a sanctuary, the definition of which fluctuates depending on who is using it, but has come under fire by the federal administration.

The U.S. Department of Justice is evaluating whether communities are abiding by a section of the U.S. Code, which concerns communications between government agencies and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, to determine if a community is a sanctuary city.

Albany County’s proposal ensures no county agency assists in federal immigration enforcement requests, nor questions people on the street over their citizenship status. That doesn’t mean, however, if an individual is a committing a crime that the person won’t be stopped and questioned.

“I’ve never in 31 years known any local cops questioning someone’s citizenship,” Sheriff Craig Apple said. “If you’re a suspect in a burglary and we have you in custody, then we’re going to ask you. That’s different, but on the street, I’ve never seen it.”

The parameters would only affect the county Sheriff’s Department, but Apple said those practices are already in place.

Earlier this year, federal officials threatened to subpoena the capital city – among 23 other jurisdictions nationwide – if officials didn’t provide documentation of guidance over whether local law enforcement agencies and personnel may or may not communicate with immigration officials. The federal administration has threatened to withhold justice assistance grant funds if a community is found in violation.

The demand sought directives, orders, instruction or guidance provided to law enforcement officials about their ability to interact with the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.

Apple did express concern on how the law could impact the work being done at the jail with the influx of people detained on immigration charges at the U.S. border.

While Albany County has been criticized for some for simply housing the detainees – which the county receives $119 per day for each detainee – they are being provided legal and translation services they otherwise may not get. They’re also housed separate from the general inmate population at the jail.

Fein ensured the law wouldn’t harm the programs the jail is offering to immigrant detainees. It also would include exceptions for county social services programs that require proof of citizenship for the benefits, he said.

The legislator said he could see there being some opposition to the proposed law, but the county needs to take a stand against the “very disturbing trend” of anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions, most recently with the influx of people seeking asylum in the U.S. and being put into detention centers across the country.

“People are struggling, the economy is down and people tend to blame it on people who are different from them, when we should all be working together,” he said. “It’s never the fault of the immigrants, or any specific group. That’s really the wrong attitude, and there are a lot of things we need to do to improve how our country works for all people.”

In other news, the county Legislature voted 37-1, with one absentee, to ban the use of so-called conversion therapy on minors. The practice purports to turn gay people straight. Latham Republican Brian Hogan was absent. Cohoes Democrat Ralph Signoracci voted against the ban, which fines any person who provides this type of service to a minor.

Guilderland Democrat Bryan Clenahan said its passage sends a message that Albany County won’t tolerate this kind of abuse and sets the stage for a law that would ban the practice statewide.