Broward County Commission Tackles 'Sanctuary City' Debate
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Broward County commissioners tackled the thorny issue of undocumented immigrants at their Tuesday meeting, considering a resolution to say no to sanctuary status.
The county is grappling with a presidential executive order that threatens to withhold federal funds from communities that don't cooperate with immigration officials who seek to deport undocumented immigrants.
More than a dozen people spoke out urging commissioners to make Broward a sanctuary county.
"This is a time to stand up to a dictator," said Saad Khan.
Resident Olivia Cantu said she understood the fear of losing federal funding, but asked the commission if anyone knew how much money was at stake and could it be offset elsewhere.
"Maybe through fundraising," she suggested.
The move to drop the sanctuary status drew outrage in Miami-Dade last month where immigrants make up more than half of the population.
While Broward commissioners tried to change the language of the resolution, there was no agreement so the matter was tabled.