Meet the Kent County Commissioner who opposes sanctuary for immigrants, is a pro-gun, anti-trans, anti-CRT, anti-DEI and anti-abortion

This Thursday, GR Rapid Response to ICE and Movimiento Cosecha will be attending the Kent County Commission meeting to demand that the County declare itself and Sanctuary and commit to not allowing the Sheriff’s Department to cooperate with ICE if they attempt to arrest, detain or deport undocumented immigrants.

The same two groups also began an Action Alert a week ago Monday, so that people could send messages to the County Commissioners, demanding that they declare themselves and Sanctuary and commit to having the Sheriff’s Department not cooperate with ICE. You can sign this Action Alert here.

The only Kent County Commissioner that GR Rapid Response to ICE and those that have sent the Action Alert have heard from is 21st District Commissioner Wally Bujak. Here is the message from Commissioner Bujak:

The question regarding whether Kent County is a “sanctuary county” has come up repeatedly.  Kent County is not, and has never been, a sanctuary county.

It is also important to remember that immigration law and policy are determined at the federal level by courts and elected officials who have the authority to create and enforce such policies. Local governments, including Kent County and the Board, do not have the legal authority to create or implement immigration policies.

For years, the Board has adhered to Standing Rule 3.10(C), which prohibits considering or approving non-binding resolutions. This includes symbolic declarations, such as sanctuary status. Instead, the Board has chosen to focus on actionable issues within its jurisdiction, leaving immigration policy to those with the authority to make and enforce such decisions.

Seems pretty clear that Commissioner Bujak didn’t really read the Action Alert, choosing instead to deflect any responsibility from the County to the feds. The GR Rapid Response to ICE Action Alert clearly lays out the two demands, that the County of Kent:

1. Declares itself a sanctuary to undocumented immigrants, and;
2. Commits to preventing the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Services, and Jail from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and any law enforcement agency that seek to surveil, arrest, detain and deport undocumented immigrants.

In addition, if Kent County has a commitment to leave immigration policy up to the federal government, then why did Kent County have a contract with ICE from 2012 through 2019 – as I noted in a post from last week. 

Commissioner Bujak can dance around this issue all he wants, but as of this posting, there are over 4,000 letters sent to Kent County officials, even before we show up to make these demands on Thursday morning during the Kent County Commission meeting. 

It is also worth noting that Wally Bujak has only been a Kent County Commissioner for two years. He was re-elected last November, in a race for the 21st District in Kent County, where Bujak ran uncontested.

Even more noteworthy, is the fact that Wally Bujak ran as part of a group of Republicans in Kent County that called themselves the Kent Contact Coalition Candidates, which is model after the Ottawa Impact group in Ottawa County. They all signed a contract to uphold the following principles:

• Defending the 2nd Amendment and adopting a Constitutional Carry resolution.
• Anti-Public Education, Anti-Trans and Anti-CRT. 
• Removing Kent County from the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, the Michigan Public Health Institute membership, and end the promotion of Planned Parenthood.

Commissioner Bujak not only opposes Kent County from being a Sanctuary County, he is committed to a pro-gun, anti-trans, anti-Critical Race Theory, anti-DEI and anti-abortion politician.