The City Council of Cincinnati officially voted to make Cincinnati a sanctuary city, a decision that means city police won’t enforce federal immigration laws against people here illegally..

More than 150 people — on both sides of the issue — packed into council chambers to speak their mind and watch the vote.

The designation is symbolic, with Mayor John Cranley vowing the city would not violate federal law but will stand with immigrants. It came after almost two hours of public comment on both sides of the issue

Opponents cheered when President Trump’s name was mentioned. One shouted, “Follow the law.” Another speaker called council supporters “traitors.”

Anderson Township Trustee Andrew Pappas, a Republican, urged the city not to jeopardize federal funding, which Trump has threatened to pull from communities designated as sanctuary cities.

Cranley said this action doesn’t do that.

Passions ran high, prompting Cranley to ask a police officer to stay. Other officers arrived a short time later. Ultimately, they weren’t needed.

The Council voted 6-2 for the resolution, which calls for Cincinnati to be “welcoming and inclusive city for all immigrants to live, work or visit.”

Council Republicans Charlie Winburn and Amy Murray were against the idea. Winburn suggested taking the words “sanctuary city” out of the resolution, an idea that was rejected. Christopher Smitherman, an independent, was excused from the meeting. He told The Enquirer Tuesday he had planned to abstain.

Winburn who is considering a run for city Mayor in the next election cycle denounced City Council’s 1992 expansion of the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance to include sexual orientation: “This is anti-family, anti-church, anti-God, anti-business,” Winburn staunchly opposed any and all legal protections from discrimination for gay citizens and joined and worked for Cincinnati’s own hate group the Citizens for Community Values a Southern Law Poverty Center recognized hate group to which he still has ties today.

“What we are doing is standing with immigrants,” said Cranley, who made the announcement Monday. “We have a very good vetting system in this country.”