Nearly 200 people squeezed into Keene City Hall for a special council meeting Monday night to discuss at least three arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the city last week.
Most of the residents in attendance expressed concern, fear and grief over the presence of ICE in what is usually a quiet city, and asked city leaders to support Keene’s growing population of immigrants.
“I turned 90 a few months ago, and I can’t think of a time when I have been more frightened,” said longtime Keene resident Sandra Whippie. “It concerns me that our families, particularly immigrant families, are literally frightened to be in our community. And they have reason to be — that’s what scares me.”
City officials were sympathetic but cautious about making promises, especially following a directive from the Trump Administration earlier this year that threatens to cut federal funding from so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
Several attendees at Monday’s Keene City Council meeting brought signs to express their opposition to ICE.
In New Hampshire, two state laws passed last year aim to prevent local communities from passing ordinances to stop ICE. Under one new state law, municipalities could lose up to a quarter of their state funding and get sued by the attorney general if they do so.
“We run a risk and we are also here to protect our taxpayers, and that is the vise they can put us in,” said Mayor Jay Kahn. “We don’t want to be the first, and we don’t want to be an example. I think we need to figure out if there are tactics that improve the safety of our citizens.”
Kahn said he would continue to work with Keene’s city manager, police chief, and legislative delegation to figure out what local government is actually able to do. But as a start, he said the city would consider sharing resources and information with residents affected by the ICE actions.
During three hours of discussion Monday night, residents and officials also suggested other steps the city council could take – like clearer lettering for a city SUV that was confused for an ICE vehicle last week, clarifying the role of the Keene Police in the ICE arrests and improving communication channels for any future ICE actions in the city.
“In these difficult times, I think it’s really important for us to come together and actually talk to each other,” said resident Marie Duggin. “The internet and the TV just isn’t the same.”
