Normal council makes city a "Welcoming City" for immigrants

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) - Police officers telling residents why they are asking for their citizenship information is now the Normal thing to do.

On Monday, the Normal city Council officially made the central Illinois community a "welcoming city with an ordinance that requires police to explain why they're asking about people's citizenship status as well as assure the public that police will carefully consider their interactions with federal immigration agents.

The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports that proponents of the ordinance say they hoped the ordinance would reduce fear immigrants might have of the police force. They say that they hope the ordinance would encourage all residents to cooperate with police and thus improve public safety.

Proponents of such ordinances say they're necessary given President Donald Trump's hard line stance on immigration.