After three hours of public comment and city council back-and-forth Aurora councilmembers passed a resolution that declares the council’s opposition to “overreach by ICE agents” following the fatal Minneapolis shooting and sets the stage for further discussion in a future meeting about limiting cooperation with ICE.

The resolution passed with six “yes” votes and four “no” votes from councilmembers Angela Lawson, Stephanie Hancock, Curtis Gardner and Francoise Bergan.

It states that the Aurora City Council “stands in solidarity with the Twin Cities in their call for ICE to leave their community immediately,” and that the council will “provide direction to city management regarding limiting cooperation with ICE and their affiliates,” according to council documents.

That conversation will happen at a February Public Safety Committee meeting.

Renee Nichole Good, 37, a U.S. citizen, mother of three and Minneapolis resident, formerly of Colorado Springs, a volunteer in a network that tracks ICE operations, according to local officials.

Aurora is home to the GEO ICE Detention Facility. Alison Coombs in the resolution called it a “stain” on Aurora, where 20% of the city’s more than 400,000 residents are foreign born.

Dozens of members of the public took the podium before the council for more than two hours Monday night to express support of the resolution, and two people spoke in opposition to it.

Aaron Futrell urged the council to pass the resolution.

“Tonight this council has a choice, they can protect our diverse population, or we can look away and pretend that fear is someone else’s problem,” Futrell said. “This resolution does not create lawlessness, it creates safety. It draws a line that says Aurora will not participate in tearing families apart.”

Aly DeWills-Marcano added that the resolution matters “beyond symbolism.”

“This resolution is important because it says Aurora will not be complicit,” DeWillis-Marcano said. “By opposing unlawful and overreaching ICE actions and directing city management to enforce existing state law, this city is asserting that local government still has a role to play.”

Rev. Wayne Laws said the resolution is necessary, especially due to the existing of the GEO facility in Aurora.

“Here in Aurora, we want to make it clear to ICE that they and their unlawful practices are not welcome here,” Laws said. “Regardless of an individual’s legal history, our constitution guarantees them the right to due process.”

Kelly Schilling was one of two people who expressed opposition, saying he is opposed to all resolutions like the one on the table, calling them “empty statements.”

“This body is nonpartisan in nature, that’s what you were elected to do,” Schilling said. “What’s going on here tonight is not in the best interest of citizens who want safety, they want public transportation, they want a navigation center that works, they want a city that works for them.”

Councilmember Hancock was one of four “no” votes on the resolution.

“I am concerned that there whereas clauses are more symbolic and full of hyperbole and rhetoric that would be more divisive than unifying,” Hancock said.

New councilmember Gianina Horton, who voted for the resolution, said it is just a step in the right direction, and that more needs to happen to make it more than symbolic.

“Our words and our values are fundamental to what we fight for,” Horton said. “Democracy only works if we choose it and fight for it every single day, and this is the start of that with this resolution.”

Councilmember Francoise Bergan expressed concern about unvetted facts in the resolution, saying some of them have not been proven.

The crowd interrupted Bergan and she shot back at them, saying she is supposed to represent all of her constituents, some of whom don’t agree with the resolution but “were afraid to be here.”

Mayor Mike Coffman countered that Aurora Police Department is already required to follow state law and not cooperate with ICE when it comes to immigration enforcement, and City Attorney Pete Schulte confirmed that APD has said they do not cooperate with the agency.

“I’m happy if the resolution passes to do what we can at public safety (committee) to talk about limiting cooperation, but the mayor’s correct, we are following state law and we will continue to do so,” Schulte said.