Pressure is mounting on London city council to follow through on its plan to designate the Forest City a sanctuary city.
Councillors responded quickly to U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban last month and voted unanimously to make London a sanctuary city but little has happened since the Jan. 30 vote.
The motion directed staff to work with a diversity committee to develop the appropriate arrangements to make it official and to have Mayor Matt Brown and staff co-ordinate with the federal government.
The designation allows undocumented refugees to have full access to local services regardless of their situation.
Now, the group called No One Is Illegal is calling on council to follow through on the plan.
“The attempts to spread fear and division by stereotyping undocumented persons is abhorrent and needs to be rejected,” London spokesperson Selma Tobah said in a release.
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The group said refugees should be able to access shelters, police, public health services and libraries.
“The recent xenophobic political climate is cause for concern and provides more reason for London to expand public service conditions to provide for all residents,” said the release.
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The call for action comes ahead of a public discussion on London becoming a sanctuary city Feb. 23 at the Goodwill Career Centre on Horton Street from 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
On Monday, Montreal city council passed a motion to declare itself a sanctuary city joining Toronto, Hamilton and London. Fredericton, N.B., Mayor Mike O’Brien said Wednesday he was also considering declaring his city a sanctuary city.