City of Orlando Passes Historic TRUST Act
On Monday July 23rd, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the Orlando City Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt and pass the TRUST Act resolution and policy, making history as the first city in the southeastern United States to introduce and pass such an effort. For the past eighteen months, the TRUST Orlando Coalition, a collective of over 36 social justice organizations representing thousands of Orlando residents, led this effort. The TRUST Act resolution and policy ensures undocumented immigrant residents in the City of Orlando will not be profiled or detained based on their citizenship status.
The TRUST Act resolution and policy affirms our commitment to uphold the constitutional rights of every person to due process, regardless of race, religion, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. It upholds Orlando’s and this nation’s core values of equal treatment, compassion and opportunity.
Photo courtesy of Alianza for Progress
The TRUST Act ensures local law enforcement will not act as a deportation force, and respects due process and equal treatment under the law for all residents, including those who are undocumented. The TRUST Act ensures that detainer requests issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not be honored by Orlando Police Department (OPD) without being accompanied by a judicial warrant. Undocumented members of our community can report crimes to OPD free from the fear of deportation, strengthening trust between our communities and law enforcement and making us all safer. This policy is an example of inclusion that will reverberate across our state and nation.
Christopher Cuevas, Executive Director of QLatinx and TRUST Facilitator shared, “our communities have historically been left to huddle in the shadows, afraid to speak out against the injustices and violence they have been left to endure at the hands of those that would seek to do them harm.” Cuevas continued, “with the passage of the TRUST Act, we are shining a light on our people and building a bridge that allows them to speak truth to their experiences, work hand in hand with law enforcement to hold those that have harmed with accountable for their actions.”
Photo courtesy of Alianza for Progress
“Not only did we make history today, but Orlando was on the right side of history- the right side of justice. After a year and a half long fight, we remained resilient in bringing the TRUST ACT to the surface. A resolution and policy that will impact the lives of our most vulnerable communities in times of distress. We refuse to adhere to the anti-immigrant rhetoric and will continue to fight for Orlando residents and families across the country,” said Rasha Mubarak, a Board Member of the Muslim Women’s Organization and a TRUST Facilitator.
The TRUST Orlando Coalition includes members of the following organization: Central Florida AFL-CIO, Unite Here Local 362, United Here Local 737, Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, Orange Education Support Professional Association, United Faculty of Florida - UCF, Communication Works of America Local 3108, United Auto Workers Local 1649, SEIU 32BJ, The Farmworker Association of Florida, Central Florida Jobs with Justice, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, Mi Familia Vota Comite Fuerza Inmigrante, VAMOS4PR, Organize Florida, Iniciativa Acción Puertorriqueña, UnidosUS, Latino Leadership Institute – Orlando Chapter, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, ACLU of Florida, Hope Community Center, Interfaith Council of Central Florida, League of Women Voters - Orange County, Florida Student Power Network, Rollins College Imagine Justice, Student Labor Action Project at UCF, Equality Florida, QLatinx, Muslim Women’s Organization, Youth and Young Adult Network of the National Farm Worker Ministry, Law Offices of Ingrid Morfa, Council on American-Islamic Relations.
