Charlotte City Council overwhelmingly rejected CMPD's request for a $300 million grant from the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Model Cities Initiative amid protests from local organizations that warned of the consequences for immigrant communities.
At their meeting on Monday, August 10, some councilors expressed concern about the funding, after being warned by organizations such as Action NC and Carolina Migrant Network of the implications of that federal initiative.
According to reports, applying for such federal funds could increase federal oversight of law enforcement, militarize local police, and involve the city in immigration control policies.
The DOJ offered up to $300 million, divided between two to four US cities, to public safety technology, surveillance tools and crime reduction.
Patterson asserted that he would not accept immigration-related funds.
During his presentation to the Council, Estella Patterson, The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) chief said the deadline to apply for the Model Cities initiative would expire on September 1, so she urged council members to review the terms and conditions if selected before accepting the money.
However, the councilor cautioned that "these terms and conditions could only be viewed once the application was accepted." Juan Diego “JD” Mazuera Arias.
Patterson insisted that the CMPD would never accept money if it meant having to carry out work on immigration control and against their values.
The initiative had been presented to the City Council's Public Safety Committee in early August. Following that meeting, several council members received calls from groups concerned about the acceptance of those federal funds.
Related: Charlotte will create an Office of International Relations
Possible “Pandora’s box”
The councilors dismissed the request, calling it a possible "Pandora's box" that would open the door to federal intervention and community distrust.
The proposed uses for the money, such as Flock cameras, artificial intelligence, and drones, were subject to intense scrutiny by local leaders, concerned about excessive police surveillance.
Meanwhile, some members of the Council questioned possible hidden financial conditions or requirements for repaying federal funds during the award period.
Councilman Juan Diego “JD” Mazuera Arias also questioned the impact that a long-term federal fund would have on Charlotte after the impact that the Operation Charlotte's Web It happened in just a few days in November.
Council members were not well informed
According to Hector Vaca, director of Immigrant Justice at Action NC“It is worrying that several councillors were on board, because they were not fully informed about all aspects of the grant application.”
“It is thanks to the community's efforts to educate our City Council and all the calls that have been generated that we saw the rejection of this Orwellian program,” Vaca said.
The issue is reportedly “dead”.
Vaca said to Enlace Latino NC Although the Council rejected the request, there was a possibility of putting it to a vote at a future meeting with more details about the initiative, due to the deadline for applying on September 1.
Councilwoman Danté Anderson, who is part of the Security Committee, said that they would not do anything that would put the community at risk. immigrant community that contributes so much to the City, and that there was also a very short "window" of time to thoroughly analyze the implications of the federal initiative.
“Some council members I spoke to after Monday’s meeting told me that the talks on the matter are over, that the issue is dead. Let’s hope that’s the case,” Vaca said.
The activist stated that they will continue to monitor issues discussed in the city and county that may affect immigrant communities, in order to fully inform their representatives.
“We will continue to empower people to be heard and encourage our elected representatives to support their constituents and be the leaders we deserve,” he added.
The Initiative of DOJ Model Cities It's to "Make America Safe Again," according to the department's website. The funds come from President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," passed last year.
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