In addition to a compromise on Cambridge Street zoning, several other items of note were on the agenda at Monday’s City Council meeting.
City Manager Yi-An Huang announced that the city has taken steps to prepare for a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.
“We have held cross departmental meetings to discuss immigration surges that we are seeing, particularly in Minnesota and Maine, and to review preparations for a potential surge in the greater Boston area. We’ve also begun meeting across the 17 Metro Mayors communities in Greater Boston on sharing practices and coordinating responses across the region,” Huang said.
A report from Axios spurred speculation online about a possible ICE incursion in the Boston area similar to the one currently unfolding in Minneapolis. ICE’s actions in Minneapolis have garnered widespread condemnation, especially after the brutal killings of American citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who appeared according to video footage to be acting nonviolently while observing protests.
Huang decried ICE’s killing of Alex Pretti, and pushed back against the Trump Administration’s characterization of ICE’s response as warranted. “Alex Pretti, contrary to federal statements, seems from video footage to have clearly been restrained by multiple agents when he was shot and killed,” he said.
He also released a statement with his Metro Mayors Coalition co-chair Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Mayor of Medford, saying “An occupying force does not belong in our communities or anywhere in the United States of America. We demand an immediate end to ICE actions and call for full respect for the Constitution, civil liberties, and public safety.”
The city is involved in a number of lawsuits and amicus briefs related to immigration enforcement, and Huang gave an update on them. They include an amicus brief supporting the State of Minnesota’s lawsuit against the Trump Administration to remove ICE, which heard arguments yesterday.
“What I think is actually very unprecedented in this case, is that it’s being built on the coercive nature of the ICE surge,” Huang said. “This occupation and the aggressiveness of federal actions are part of a desire not to actually address immigration challenges, but to pressure the state to act differently, which is an unconstitutional use of federal power to coerce state action.”
Huang also noted that temporary protected status (TPS) for many Haitians residing in the metro Boston area will expire on February 3rd if not extended on February 2nd. While he acknowledged that anyone with a pending asylum case has legal right to remain in the country, he encouraged those with complicated statuses to be in touch with an immigration lawyer.
Councillor Patty Nolan requested the city manager’s office to take a look at how the Cambridge Police Department can hold ICE accountable if residents are unlawfully assaulted.
“We will not interfere with the federal immigration work. However, when our own laws are broken, I think we need to proactively think about how do we ensure that our law enforcement can enforce law and order when the laws are being broken by federal officials,” Nolan said.
Councillor Tim Flaherty also suggested the City Manager’s office try to establish a volunteer network of lawyers in addition to what the city already provides. “Everybody could take a day and be the on-call lawyer. If somebody is detained, if there’s a surge in Cambridge, then we have a person who’s identified for that day to go and file a habeas corpus petition in the federal court.”
Stickney House no landmark
A petition to designate the Nathaniel Stickney House at 45 Mount Auburn Street a landmark failed. Councillors Ayah Al-Zubi and Cathie Zusy voted in favor of landmarking, while the other seven councillors voted against.
The building, which is already a part of the Harvard Square Conservation District, was recommended for landmark status by the Cambridge Historical Commission in November of last year. Up until the summer of 2024, the building housed the nonprofits that make up the Democracy Center, until the owners (the Foundation for Civic Leadership) evicted them, citing badly needed renovations.
Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem called the subsequent effort to landmark the building “vindictive.”
“The real reasoning here is not because suddenly these people had a very different feeling about the historical nature of the house, but rather because, you know, in order to do the renovations, people had to be moved out,” he said. He and other councillors noted that renovations to the existing space would be hindered by landmark status.
Vegan victory
A policy order encouraging the city to incorporate plant-based solutions into the Sustainable Cambridge initiative was passed unanimously by Council. The PO also urges “incorporating plant-based purchasing practices in City-operated events, and using municipal communications channels to promote sustainable and affordable food and drink practices throughout the City.”
The initiative’s supporters, many of them affiliated with local chapters of the Plant Based Treaty, came out in droves during the public comment period. They say their initiative is inspired by both climate action and a concern for public health.
“This is a global grassroots initiative that brings food systems into the climate crisis conversation. Plant based diets are proven to be the most environmentally sustainable and can also be the healthiest diets for us,” said Cambridge resident Hannah Roach, speaking in favor of the PO.
“The emission pollution that is directly caused by all of our diets is something that we should be prioritizing,” said Councillor Nolan, one of the PO’s sponsors.
Study will look at making JFK Street two ways
Another PO that was unanimously passed requests that the city pursue projects to explore pedestrianization this year, specifically with the pedestrianization of parts of Brattle Street in Harvard Square in mind. This would necessitate the reversion of JFK St. into a two-way street.
Councillor Al-Zubi joined the others in supporting the PO, but noted that she had concerns about the traffic flow changes a resulting pedestrianization recommendation would cause.
“I think JFK going two ways is likely dangerous, especially when you consider how heavy pedestrian traffic is in that area,” she said. “I’m worried about the safety of pedestrians, drivers, bikers and anyone else, and I’m looking forward to understanding the feedback on this report.”
Councillor E. Denise Simmons enthusiastically supported the PO, especially the provision that pilot projects, rather than a consultant, be used to undertake the study.
“This order reflects a community conversation, careful walk-through, [and a] shared interest in testing ideas thoughtfully rather than over studying them. So, I support this approach because it prioritizes real world pilots, respects fiscal constraints, and gives us an opportunity to learn quickly, collaboratively and transparently for what works for residents and businesses,” Simmons said.
This article was corrected to note that Cambridge is using pilot projects to explore pedestrianization.
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The Vegan organization’s desires and initiative is out of place and shows an inability to focus on the big picture of what is going on right now and is of significance.
The Trump administration is threatening once again Federal funding of food programs, housing assistance, and other money while insisting on trying to drain the coffers of cities and states it considers its enemy by having voted against him and support a social safety net for everyone.
We need to focus to prepare for this, among many other things that are local centered and on the threat of possible increased ICE action and the disruptions that can cause as we have seen previously and across the country.
Worrying whether people are eating plants or meat in a time of potential scarcity period is wasting the council’s time.