CINCINNATI — The City of Cincinnati passed a resolution on Wednesday urging any federal law enforcement officers in Cincinnati to comply with city policy, which includes requirements regarding body cameras, officer identification and masks.
The resolution denounces the shooting of Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis last week, and urges all federal law enforcement in the city to comply with the city's policies — which include not wearing masks to hide their identities, clear officer identification and the use of body cameras.
Co-sponsor council member Anna Albi spoke about the reasoning for the resolution at Wednesday's meeting.
WATCH: Can Cincinnati force ICE agents to follow its local policies on policing?
"We do not want masked agents terrorizing our neighborhoods and pulling residents out of their cars," Albi said. "If there are violent criminals ICE is apprehending, then we expect them to do so safely and professionally because that is not what we saw in Minneapolis last week when ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good. We should all be horrified by what happened and what we witnessed in that video. "
When it comes to ensuring ICE agents follow city policies, Albi said there is little Cincinnati can do in terms of enforcement.
"We are, sadly, limited by the fact that we are a local government and they are a federal agency, so we are doing our best to urge, demand that they do that," she said. "I know our residents are going to be glad that this council stood up for them, because that is what I'm hearing from my residents, my constituents, my community, is they are desperate for city hall to take a stand against this terrorizing of communities across the nation, including ours."
Albi also clarified that the Cincinnati Police Department is not currently assisting ICE with federal immigration enforcement.
"The City of Cincinnati cannot and will not be compelled to assist with any kind of federal immigration enforcement," Albi said.
Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney went as far as to call ICE an "illegal entity." She said the city isn't just asking ICE to follow local policies — "we demand it."
"Our local law enforcement protects our citizens. They do not work with illegal entities, such as ICE. I asked our immigration and law center and other attorneys who did immigration law, 'Did the rules change?' ... I was told the rules have not changed. A warrant signed by a judge is still required before ICE enters someone's home, for example. But they are not following the rules. ... What they are doing is totally illegal, and we will not stand for it here in Cincinnati."
President Pro Tem Scotty Johnson called what happened in Minneapolis "unacceptable," and noted that the ATF, FBI and DEA here in Cincinnati "have always to this point conducted themselves professionally" and followed the leadership of CPD while engaging people in the city.
"We value those relationships, and I don't want any of our federal partners — DEA, ATF or FBI — to think this applies to them, because it doesn't. Because they've been professional and they've worked collaboratively with our Cincinnati Police Department," Johnson said.
Johnson, who worked for CPD for more than three decades, commented on what he saw from the ICE officer in Minneapolis.
"That's what you get when you take anybody off the street, give them a badge, do not train them and allow them to have rule over American citizens," Johnson said. "That was the most unprofessional tactical situation that I've ever witnessed."
Because Cincinnati police are not assisting ICE, it is currently unclear what the scope of ICE operations has looked like in the city. Council member Mark Jeffreys said it's "very fair" that when ICE is in Cincinnati, they "play by the rules."
All council members voted to approve the resolution, with multiple members speaking about plans to continue to address issues that could arise from ICE's presence.
Pureval said he's proud the city has a council with "the clear eyes to denounce this kind of awful militarization and overreach that is only intended to make us more afraid of each other."
