Hoping to fix what they consider a fractured working relationship with the group, Bellingham City Council members on Monday, Jan. 29 voted to bar the Immigration Advisory Board (IAB) from meeting. The board launched less than four years ago, to represent the interests of the immigrant community.
Council members, led by immigration lawyer Hannah Stone, approved an ordinance Jan. 29 “suspending all future meetings of the Immigration Advisory Board.” The suspension won’t become official until the city council takes a final vote on the ordinance, likely in February.
The ordinance asserts the board has not had mandatory training on open public meetings, has not adopted by-laws and excludes city staff from its meetings.
“The level of conflict at IAB meetings has been high and frequent enough that key city staff will no longer attend meetings, and volunteers and potential government, nonprofit and community partners decline joint projects and activities with the IAB,” Stone’s ordinance said.
At a Jan. 16 meeting, IAB members countered that the city has stonewalled the training and its own participation by not offering to provide presentations in Spanish.
City council members took responsibility for the dysfunctional relationship at a Monday afternoon committee meeting.
Stone, a newcomer on the council when it established the IAB in 2019, said she failed to take responsibility to ensure the board would work effectively after following her “passion and desire” that year to get the IAB started.
“[I did] not play an active enough role in trying to do that hard work initially, to make sure that we were all on the same page and moving together in some really clear alignment,” Stone said.
Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig, speaking at the committee meeting, blamed IAB members for her department’s inability to work with the board.
“The Immigration Advisory Board began its first meeting by telling the former chief, David Doll, that he was not welcome and kicking him out of the important dialogue,” Mertzig said. “I have observed personal attacks, blaming, general disrespect and no meaningful work product.”
By excluding police from meetings, Mertzig added, the IAB is missing an opportunity to build trust between the department and the immigrant community.
“I would be devastated to hear that a crime victim did not call the police out of fear of getting deported, or any other fear [for] their safety,” the chief said.
In an interview after the committee meeting, IAB member Tara Villalba said Mertzig’s statement missed her group’s point.
“It doesn’t acknowledge the fact that racial profiling happens still, and it doesn’t acknowledge the fact that whether or not they want people to be afraid, people are afraid,” Villalba said. “We’re trying to create a safe space.”
The council members committed to work toward returning the IAB to its business, including its watchdog role over limiting law enforcement’s interactions with federal immigration agents, and helping the city develop an immigrant resource center.
Council directed Mayor Kim Lund’s staff to form a workgroup of city leaders and IAB members, to devise ways to make the board more effective. Lund’s staff will provide a progress report to council in six months.
At council’s Monday evening meeting, council member Michael Lilliquist emphasized to those in attendance that the city wasn’t trying to end the work of the Immigration Advisory Board. It only wanted to press pause.
“I don’t want to disband the IAB,” Lilliquist said. “But I do wish the IAB would be more effective.”
This story was updated at 11:35 a.m. Jan. 31 and again at 4:36 p.m. Feb. 2 to emphasize that Bellingham City Council will take a final vote to suspend the Immigration Advisory Board at a future meeting. The suspension doesn’t become official until after the final vote.
Ralph Schwartz is CDN’s local government reporter; reach him at ralphschwartz@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 107.
