West Lafayette is now a so-called “safe haven” for immigrants – even though that declaration is likely to mean very little where the law is concerned. The West Lafayette City Council Monday evening approved the resolution before overflowing crowd at the Morton Center. It asserts no city department will investigate a person’s immigration status unless it’s party to a criminal investigation or required by law or court order. The resolution was significantly amended by the city lawyer Eric Burns, who was tasked with bringing it into concert with a 2011 state law requiring local officers to assist federal agencies with immigration matters – essentially saying Indiana cannot host so-called “sanctuary cities.” The resulting resolution, critics argue, doesn’t actually change anything city police do. Chief Jason Dombkowski insists the force doesn’t explicitly investigate immigration status in the first place—“We’re not kicking in doors,” he said during the meeting. Council member Norris Wang,
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