President Donald Trump's mass-deportation crackdown spooked leaders in at least one Democratic-majority East Coast city, as its mayor and city council suddenly removed a scheduled vote on approving a "Welcoming City" ordinance from this month's agenda.
Mayor Sal Panto Jr., of Easton, Pennsylvania, a moderate Democrat, moved to strike the ordinance vote from the agenda, with all but its sponsor, Councilwoman Taiba Sultana, backing the move, according to Lehigh Valley News. One member was absent.
The ordinance would have given the city - 80 miles west of New York City and 60 miles north of Philadelphia - a designation shared by Chicago, where leaders use the term "welcoming city" instead of the more politically charged "sanctuary city."
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Sultana told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that values should come first and lamented the decision.
"The Council's decision stemmed from a place of pragmatism rather than principle… But the majority felt that formally adopting the 'Welcoming City' bill now would effectively paint a target on our city - a target for an administration that has demonstrated a willingness to weaponize federal funds against political adversaries," she said.
In recent weeks, Attorney General Pam Bondi has threatened civil action and withholding of federal funding from sanctuary cities or municipalities that do not align with federal immigration law - and Easton leaders didn't want that kind of attention.
"This threat, while legally dubious, is very real. It jeopardizes the critical funding that our residents, including our undocumented neighbors who contribute immensely to our economy, depend on for essential services like education and public safety," Sultana said.
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Easton isn't alone in weighing its options. Other Lehigh Valley cities have faced similar debates. In February, neighboring Bethlehem also decided against passing a similar ordinance, as the Christmas City's Democratic mayor convinced city council against it.
"We acknowledge that while many cities are seeking to respond to the recent threats of deportation by creating a 'welcoming ordinance'… in fact many of these practices have been in place for years," Mayor J. William Reynolds said at the time.
Allentown - Pennsylvania's third-largest city - went the other direction, codifying a long-standing policy barring local resources from being used to enforce federal immigration law. One councilman said the vote did not create a "sanctuary" but presented a "guiding light [to] know where we stand and… what we can and cannot do."
Councilman Frank Pintabone told Lehigh Valley News the "Welcoming City" ordinance sought to "fix a problem that doesn't exist," pointing to much heavier ICE activity in Allentown versus only two detentions so far in Easton.
Panto said Easton remains a "welcoming city" in a proverbial sense and doesn't need such a moniker:
"We welcomed every immigrant. I think our record shows that."
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A GOP official in Northampton County - whose parents immigrated legally to Easton from Cuba and Austria - criticized the idea of a "Welcoming City" or sanctuary ordinance, noting that his family already felt welcomed when they arrived.
The official told Fox News Digital his father came to Easton in 1959, returned briefly to Cuba to see Fidel Castro overthrow the government and decided, "I'm getting the h--- out of here."
