ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando city commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Monday meant to strengthen city policies to protect immigrants.

The resolution prohibits City employees, including Orlando Police officers, from questioning immigrants about their legal status. 

Immigration activists rallied outside of Orlando City Hall Monday to urge city commissioners to approve the policy.

TRUST Orlando, a coalition of more than 36 social justice organizations, says the resolution before commissioners “… ensures undocumented immigrant residents in Orlando will not be profiled or detained based on their citizenship status.”

Activists had been working on getting this resolution on the books for over a year. 

They say this resolution is all about protecting undocumented people who are victims of crime.

The resolution aims to strengthen policies that are already in place. The current policy prevents law enforcement officers from asking a victim of a crime about his or her immigration status.

“Just like we always have done, we are not going to treat people any differently because of their immigration status,” said Orlando Police Chief John Mina. 

"It's extremely important for our community to feel comfortable coming to the police," he added.

Anallely Becerra is an immigrant advocate with Hope Community Center. Now grown, she has lived in Orlando since her mother brought her here when she was 7.

Becerra says she sees the fear among immigrants everyday, some who are victims of crime and afraid to come forward out of fear of being deported.

“They’re worried about immigration status, thinking they may be deported,” Mina said.

Mina went on to explain the value in the renewed resolution is to ensure victims of crimes come forward, and that the proposal is all about protecting victims of crimes.

Part of that process is OPD’s ability to grant U-Visas, which provide immigration protections to victims of crime.

According to the Orlando Police Department, there were 20 U-Visa requests in 2017 -- 12 of them granted. So far in 2018, there have been 10 U-Visa requests, with 6 of them approved.

The policy blanket extends to immigrants in a number of situations, including whether they’re victims of crime or caught speeding.

“This is a step in the right direction to help eradicate fear that so many immigrant families are feeling now a days,” said Rasha Mubarak of the Muslim Women’s Organization.

MWO is part of the larger TRUST Orlando coalition, a group of more than 35 social justice organizations that has been pushing passage of this resolution for more than a year and a half. 

Concerns from opponents 

Mina says OPD has had an anti-bias policy in place for years, and this renewed resolution does not make Orlando a “sanctuary city."

City leaders say they respect federal law and this resolution does not do violate those laws because it only protects victims of crime.

“We are still going to comply with federal authorities, and if they ask us for assistance in certain situations, we’ll assist them just like we would the FBI, DEA, or any other federal authority,” Mina said, adding OPD does not have a history of conducting immigration raids. 

Immigrant advocates say they plan to turn their attention to county policy.

In response, County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said: “Regarding the pending action by the City of Orlando and their police policies, it is important to note that the Orlando Police Department is a department of City Government. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is an independently elected constitutional office, and therefore, the policy decisions rest entirely with the Sheriff. I cannot speak on behalf of the Sheriff, but I cannot imagine he would allow this type of inquiry.”

Last year, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, as head of the Florida Sheriff’s Association, said they too would not actively pursue undocumented immigrations, saying it violated federal court rulings.

Sheriffs noted past lawsuits in which agencies were sued for holding illegal immigrants on ICE warrants.

The Sheriff’s Association said at the time it would cooperate with federal law enforcement as allowed under the law.