On December 16, the St. Paul city council voted 6-1 to
approve a resolution
to condemn Donald Trump’s inflammatory statements about immigrants, refugees,
and Muslims.
Introduced by council member Dai Thao, a refugee from Laos, the original resolution contained language that declared Trump unwelcome in the state’s capital, essentially barring the candidate from the city. That clause didn’t make it into the final version.
The sole dissenting council member, Dan Bostrom, said that even though he does not agree with the presidential candidate, he would not try to limit his speech. According to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune—which wrote an editorial opposing the second part of the resolution—the American Civil Liberties Union also defended Trump’s right to free speech.
St. Paul’s resolution follows statements from several mayors, like in St.
Petersburg, Florida and New
York, who have decried Trump’s comments. The city council in Portland,
Oregon passed
a similar measure the same day.