UNION CITY — Union City has installed 22 new signs at some entrance points to the city, showing off the city’s updated logo, as well as announcing its status as a compassionate city.
The city hopes the signs will convey that Union City treats “everyone equally, without regard to race, color, national origin, or immigration status,” according to a statement from the city.
Large welcome signs display the city’s colorful U-shaped logo, which a consultant was paid to create in the fall of 2016, and welcome people to Union City. Just beneath those are smaller rectangular signs that read, “A Compassionate City.”
The City Council adopted “compassionate city” as its slogan in May 2017. The slogan was recommended by the Human Relations Commission to help quell some residents’ fears of discrimination and anti-immigration policies following the election of President Donald Trump in November 2016.
Jaime Patiño, a human relations commissioner for more than five years in the city, helped draft the compassionate city resolution.
In an interview Wednesday, he said the simple signs at the city’s entrances are important because they mean Union City is “finally saying what we are.”
While the city cannot stop federal immigration officials from performing sweeps in the city, Union City police officers won’t ask for a person’s citizenship status, unless it is directly relevant to a crime. The department doesn’t conduct its own sweeps for detaining undocumented people, and the city’s compassionate resolution says officers “should not participate in such federal immigration operations as a part of any detention team unless it is in direct response to a request for emergency assistance for compromised officer safety.”
Patiño said it is important for people who live or work in the city to know they can trust local employees and officials, regardless of their immigration status.
“If you’re a victim of a crime, go ahead and call UCPD,” he said.
“I don’t want them to hold back from interacting with the city. If you’re doing business with the city, don’t be afraid to do business with the city. If you need to report a quality-of-life issue, report it,” Patiño said.
“We need to hear from all our citizens.”
Following the adoption of the city’s compassionate resolution, Patiño said the Human Relations Commission made “aggressive outreach” effort to locals through churches and community meetings to spread the word, helping to tamp down false rumors about city-run immigration sweeps.
He said those efforts were important, and the sign will serve to remind people every time they enter the city they are welcome there.
The signs were made by workers at the city’s corporation yard, and the estimated cost for all 22 is $8,800, according to Lauren Sugayan, a spokeswoman for the city.
“Union City is fully committed to being free of prejudice and discrimination,” the city statement said. “The ‘Compassionate City’ feature on our entry signage conveys a message to those entering the city that we are tolerant and respectful of everyone.”