Worcester's 'Sanctuary City' Status Coming To Another Vote Tonight

WORCESTER, MA - The Worcester city council will once again put to a vote on whether to declare itself a sanctuary city for LGBTQ+ residents tonight.

Last week, the petition introduced by Worcester resident Alexandra Cislo was shelved for the following council meeting. It calls for a formal declaration of the city as a sanctuary to protect the LGBTQ+ community from discriminatory and harmful policies that may come from the state and federal level.

Last week, members of the LGBTQ+ community criticized councilors who voiced concerns that the city could lose federal funding if they voted in favor of it.

But a new fold is set for tonight, as City Manager Eric Batista plans to detail findings by the solicitor on potential consequences from Worcester adopting the declaration.

"There are potential implications if we identify as a sanctuary city," a letter from Alexanda Kalkounis, the city solicitor, read."We cannot be sure what Executive Order the president will issue or how the court, many members appointed by President Trump himself, will rule if any of the pending litigation matters get to that stage."

Massachusetts has challenged President Donald Trump's executive orders before, and federal funding was not frozen. But Trump's new orders relating to gender-affirming care are unique and without historical precedence.

Worcester has been at the eye of a cultural storm since councilor Thu Nguyen, the first openly non-binary elected official in the Commonwealth, announced a hiatus and accused Mayor Joseph Petty and several councilors of LGBTQ+ discrimination.

Whether the vote will be delayed or confirmed tonight is unknown. Patch will continue to provide updates as the situation unfolds.