As President Trump installs his policies in many different areas of government through a series of executive orders, the City of Northfield is receiving phone calls and emails asking how some of those policies – specifically regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Immigration – will affect the day-to-day business of the city, and perhaps more importantly, members of the Northfield Community.
City Administrator Ben Martig said Northfield has had a strong commitment to DEI for many years, and that is not changing. He said policies made at the Federal level do not necessarily affect the policies made at a local level. He said, in his opinion, DEI is about civil rights, and he pointed out that the State of Minnesota has one of the strongest civil rights laws in the country.
“I think of it at its foundation, DEI is about civil rights and trying to advance those marginalized communities and those that are protected. Here in Minnesota, we have one of the strongest civil rights acts in the entire country. We have protections for race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, public assistance, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and familial status.”
The protections and policies set forth by the city, he said, will not change.
Meanwhile, with the threat of mass deportations looming over the community, Northfield Chief of Police Jeff Schroepfer reminded the community that the Northfield Police Department does not enforce federal immigration policy, nor do they inquire about the immigration status of anyone with whom they come into contact.
Schroepfer said it is vitally important that every member of the Northfield community understand this and that they put their trust in Northfield police.
“I understand the fears. I get. I don’t live that life, but I understand where they’re coming from. But on the other hand, I don’t want that section of the community to be afraid to contact the Northfield Police Department. There are going to be victims of crimes and there are going to be witnesses of crimes. We will need them to come forward and we need them to feel comfortable contacting us in a timely manner.”
Martig added that it is city policy to only ask about immigration status where that is required by law. Not only do city employees not ask in any other situation, he said, but they are not allowed to ask, and there is a zero-tolerance policy in place for those who do ask.
Finally, Martig said that Northfield is not a “Sanctuary City,” because there is no legal designation as such. He did, however, say that city policies tend to be in alignment with what would be commonly assumed to be in place in a Sanctuary City.
For more information, contact City Hall at 507-645-8833, or visit the city website at northfieldmn.gov.
Rich Larson is the owner and general manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
