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<br />WHEREAS, the County's Civil Rights Ordinance specifically prohibits discrimination <br />based on an individual's race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran <br />status and familial status; and <br />WHEREAS, the County recognizes the dignity and worth of each individual and desires <br />to promote and maintain a climate of good will among individuals, races, ethnic groups and <br />persons of varying social, religious and economic status, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital <br />status or status with regard to public assistance; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Human Relations Commission encourages Orange <br />County residents, as individuals, to take a stand against social injustice and continue to work <br />together to make freedom, justice, and equal opportunity available for all, <br />WHEREAS, Orange County is committed to preserving the progress made thus far <br />towards equality and leading the challenge far equal opportunity using all the means at our <br />disposal. <br />NOW, THEREFORE, We, The Board of County Commissioners of Orange County, North <br />Carolina, do hereby proclaim February 2007 as "HUMAN RELATIONS MONTH" in Orange <br />County and challenge our citizens to promote the ideology of social justice far all and to <br />celebrate multiculturalism in our county by encouraging citizens to embrace our diversity. <br />THIS THE 23'a DAY ©F JANUARY, 2007 <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to <br />approve proclaiming the month of February, 2007 as "Human Relations Month" in Orange <br />County and authorize the Chair to sign. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />c. Resolution in Opposition to a Memorandum of Understanding fMOU) with <br />Immigration and Customs Enforcement f ICE1 for Local Law Enforcement to Enforce <br />Civil Immigration Laws <br />The Board considered a resolution apposing the use of local law enforcement to enforce <br />civil immigration law and policy and authorizing the Chair to sign. <br />Human Rights and Relations Director Milan Pham introduced this item. She said that <br />since September 11, 2001, the Country has taken a stance on immigration and domestic <br />security. As a result, Homeland Security has increased its efforts to get local government to <br />help and assist them in the process of enforcing immigration laws. Local police departments <br />and sheriff departments have always had the right to enforce criminal immigration laws, but they <br />have not been able to enforce civil immigration laws. She said that being in the country <br />undocumented is considered a civil immigration violation. In 2003, the U. S. Congress tried to <br />pass the CLEAR Act, which would have forced local law enforcement to enforce civil <br />immigration law. Bi-partisan non-profit organizations across the country spoke out against this <br />because they thought that it would clearly shift the responsibility from the federal government to <br />state and local government. In 2006, the State Legislature passed the 2006 Technical <br />Corrections Act, which now allows local governments to enter into agreements with the federal <br />government to enforce civil immigration law, and would have virtually the same effect. The <br />Human Relations Commission and the Commission for Women voted unanimously to ask the <br />Board of County Commissioners to oppose Orange County entering into these MOUs, and to <br />communicate with the County Commissioners' peers that they discourage this type of activity. <br />