MONTVALE — The Syrian-born mayor of this North Jersey borough will not declare his municipality a sanctuary for immigrants, he said this week.
Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali.Fausto Giovanny Pinto | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Mayor Mike Ghassali wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday that he will not sign an executive order declaring the borough a sanctuary city like other municipalities in the state.
“Our law enforcement officers are hired to keep us safe and to enforce local, state and federal laws,” said Ghassali. “I will not be signing any executive orders that will ask our employees to defy federal laws.”
Ghassali signed the post by saying he was a “Syrian Immigrant.” In another post, he said that a third of borough residents were foreign-born.
Earlier this month, another Syrian-born North Jersey Mayor, Mohamed T Khairullah of Prospect Park, declared the borough a sanctuary city.
“As elected officials, each one of us interprets the law as we see it and I saw it as unlawful and unconstitutional,” Khairullah said Saturday. “That’s the beauty of the United States, we could all have a difference of opinion.”
Khairullah said he maintains a cordial relationship with Ghassali despite their opposing views on the Syrian regime.
Khairullah’s order came one week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring refugees from seven majority-Muslim countries, including Syria, from entering into the U.S.
“No one should be threatened because we are not a Sanctuary city,” Ghassali wrote in response to a comment criticizing his stance. “Montvale is not a Sanctuary City under this administration.”
Trump has signaled plans this week that he intends to round up illegal immigrants in the country for deportation, which included using the National Guard.
Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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