Amendment to agreement for Central Booking Facility

[Greg Casar]

Dear colleagues,

I’m writing to provide some information on an amendment I’ll be offering to Item 6 on tomorrow’s agenda. Item 6 is an interlocal agreement between the City of Austin and Travis County for an additional year of the Austin Police Department’s use of the County’s Central Booking Facility. As you know, the vast majority of people booked at the Central Booking Facility are arrested by the Austin Police Department and are City residents.

The City has taken prior actions to oppose collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Central Booking Facility. The City values our immigrant communities, and we know public safety is weakened when Austinites fear that interactions with police can lead to interactions with immigration enforcement.

After conversations with County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, I decided to offer the amendment below to the interlocal agreement so that the County can further discuss the state of immigration enforcement at the booking facility. I hope that this debate at the County can lead to a policy that better reflects Austin’s values on immigration.

By including this amendment in the interlocal agreement, the Travis County Commissioner’s Court will have a chance to review the updated agreement, discuss its implications and ask questions regarding the state of immigration enforcement at the booking facility. The County Judge has already agreed to schedule this item on their agenda in the next few weeks.

Given Congressional inaction on immigration reform and the upcoming Presidential election, I believe it is critical that the City continue maintaining a welcoming community for all Austinites.

Please see the text of my short amendment below. I look forward to discussing this with you tomorrow.

Thanks,
Greg

Amendment to Item 6:
WHEREAS, the City and County value our immigrant communities and wish to operate the Central Booking Facility in a manner that reflects our values;