Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin says the county will take whatever legal steps it can to stop the City of Troy from becoming a so-called sanctuary city. The City Council is expected to vote on the measure in June. McLaughlin, a Republican, tells WAMC those behind the proposal do not have the pulse of the people.
“We think it’s the wrong approach,” McLaughlin told WAMC in Troy Monday. “It’s the county that pays these bills, it’s not the city. The city doesn’t write a check for anything. I wish they would pay their bills quite frankly. It’s the county that’s paying the social services, the welfare, the probation, the child protective and everything else. So it’s an infringement on our county taxpayer.”
Members of the Troy City Council’s Democratic majority are working to finalize the resolution. In a statement, John Salka, a spokesperson for Democratic Troy Mayor Patrick Madden, said the mayor’s "administration is not involved in drafting a resolution regarding the Sanctuary City discussion, but has had conversations with members of the City Council and Troy Police Department” on the topic.
“This is a welcoming city,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a welcoming county and it’s a welcoming country. But you don’t get to break our laws and then pay no consequence for that. You don’t just get to wipe the slate clean because you broke into this country.”
