By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – The so-called ‘welcoming’ resolution to calm deportation fears of undocumented immigrants divided the Bloomington City Council, and the Republican running for Illinois Attorney General won’t offer an opinion on the issue that’s dividing local leaders.

However, Erika Harold does favor Illinois’ Trust Act, signed into law by Governor Rauner last year. Rauner’s most conservative critics claimed the governor made Illinois a sanctuary state.

Harold believes the Trust Act strikes the right balance by establishing guidelines for police cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is a federal agency.

As for local governments like Bloomington, Harold said they have a right to express their views.

“I don’t take positions on whether communities should pass a resolution or not. I think they absolutely have the right to express their views, but many of the resolutions that are being passed in communities are not talking about actually changing the law or not complying with the law,” said the GOP nominee.

Harold, a lawyer from Urbana, was asked about the matter during a Twin-Cities campaign stop.

Bloomington has put off a vote on a ‘welcoming’ ordinance. The Normal Town Council voted 5-2 in May for a resolution empowering the police chief to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to work with ICE agents.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].