Sanctuary Cities

Extracted Attributes

• Definition

  A municipality that limits or denies its cooperation with the national government in enforcing immigration law.

• European Context

  Refers to cities committed to supporting legal refugees and asylum seekers, not illegal immigration.

• Opponents' Arguments

  Undermines the rule of law, potentially compromises public safety by releasing individuals with criminal records, acts as a magnet for illegal immigration, strains local resources.

• Impact on Crime Rates

  Mixed results; some studies indicate no effect or even lower crime rates compared to non-sanctuary cities; immigrants (legal and illegal) tend to have lower crime rates overall.

• Proponents' Arguments

  Reduces fear of deportation, family separation; encourages reporting of crimes and use of social services.

• Impact on Deportations

  Substantially reduces deportations of immigrants without criminal records, but has no impact on those with violent criminal histories.

• Common Policies/Practices

  Limiting local law enforcement's involvement in federal detention/deportation efforts, prohibiting agreements allowing ICE to deputize local officers, offering English classes, issuing municipal identification documents and driver's licenses, ensuring equal access to bail.

• Notable Canadian Examples

  Toronto, Hamilton

• Notable European Examples

  Glasgow (UK), Swansea (UK), Sheffield (UK)

• Notable US State Examples

  California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington

• Official Definition Status

  No official or standard definition exists.

• Notable US City/County Examples

  Los Angeles County, San Francisco County/City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Providence, Baltimore, Newark

Timeline

• A national policy was adopted in the UK to disperse asylum seekers to different towns and cities. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1999-XX-XX

• The sanctuary movement began in Sheffield, United Kingdom. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2005-XX-XX

• Toronto City Council voted 37–3 to adopt a policy allowing undocumented immigrants to access city services, becoming the first city in Canada to declare itself a sanctuary city. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2013-02-XX

• Hamilton City Council voted unanimously to allow undocumented immigrants access to city-funded services, declaring itself a sanctuary city. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2014-02-XX

• The Washington Post reported that "decades of research actually shows that immigrants – whether legal or illegal – tend to have lower crime rates." (Source: Wikipedia)

  2016-XX-XX

• A report by the Center for American Progress concluded that "statistical analysis illustrates that across a range of social and economic indicators, sanctuary counties perform better than comparable nonsanctuary counties." (Source: Wikipedia)

  2017-XX-XX

• A 'Review of the Research on “Sanctuary Cities” and Crime' in Sociology Compass concluded that 'The few empirical studies that exist illustrate a “null” or negative relationship between these policies and crime.' (Source: Wikipedia)

  2017-XX-XX

• The Department of Justice (DOJ) began sending letters to cities and counties with sanctuary laws, threatening to withhold criminal justice grants unless jurisdictions confirmed compliance with Section 1373. (Source: Web Search)

  2017-XX-XX

• The Department of Justice (DOJ) continued sending letters to cities and counties with sanctuary laws, threatening to withhold criminal justice grants. (Source: Web Search)

  2018-XX-XX

Sanctuary city

A sanctuary city is a municipality that limits or denies its cooperation with the national government in enforcing immigration law. Proponents of sanctuary cities cite motives such as reducing the fear of persons which illegally immigrated from deportation, separation of immigrant families, reporting crimes, using health and social services, and enrolling their children into a school. Opponents of sanctuary cities argue that they undermine the rule of law by not cooperating with federal immigration authorities. They also highlight concerns about public safety, pointing to cases where a person involved in violent crimes was released instead of being handed over to proper authorities. Critics claim that sanctuary cities act as magnets for illegal immigration, attracting more people to enter unlawfully. They also argue that these cities place a strain on local resources, as persons which have illegally immigrated may access public services like healthcare, housing, and education. Some studies on the relationship between sanctuary status and crime have found that sanctuary policies either have no effect on crime or that sanctuary cities have lower crime rates and stronger economies than comparable non-sanctuary cities. In 2016 The Washington Post reported that in the United States "decades of research actually shows that immigrants – whether legal or illegal – tend to have lower crime rates". Similarly, a 2017 report by the Center for American Progress concluded that "statistical analysis illustrates that across a range of social and economic indicators, sanctuary counties perform better than comparable nonsanctuary counties." A 2017 'Review of the Research on “Sanctuary Cities” and Crime' in Sociology Compass concluded that 'The few empirical studies that exist illustrate a “null” or negative relationship between these policies and crime.' Sanctuary city policies substantially reduce deportations of illegal immigrants who do not have criminal records, but have no impact on those who have violent criminal records. Opponents of sanctuary cities argue that cities should assist the national government in enforcing immigration law. Supporters of sanctuary cities argue that enforcement of federal law is not the duty of localities, and that law enforcement resources can be prioritized towards better purposes. European cities have drawn inspiration from the sanctuary movement in American cities. However, the term "sanctuary city" in Europe generally refers to cities committed to supporting legal refugees and asylum seekers, not illegal immigration. Over 80 towns and cities across the United Kingdom adopt policies aimed at fostering community connections, raising awareness, and building cultural ties to support these groups. Glasgow and Swansea have become noted sanctuary cities.

Web Search Results

• What Is a Sanctuary City? | Vera Institute

  There is no official definition, but in general sanctuary cities are jurisdictions that prioritize the safety and well-being of all residents by limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, allowing limited local resources to be used to support local community members. Sanctuary policies are often adopted in areas with large immigrant populations, and about a dozen states and hundreds of cities are currently considered sanctuaries. [...] Sanctuary cities enact a wide variety of policies and practices designed to protect their noncitizen populations by limiting local law enforcement’s involvement in federal detention and deportation efforts. Some jurisdictions pass ordinances prohibiting agreements that allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deputize local law enforcement officers to detain and deport noncitizens. [...] Everyone wants to live in a safe and stable community. Most Americans want a fair and orderly immigration system. Targeting sanctuary city policies does nothing to accomplish either of these goals. Sanctuary cities must continue to fight federal overreach efforts to usurp their limited resources for harmful immigration enforcement. More municipalities should prioritize investments in resources like good schools, affordable housing, and stable jobs that lead to safety and security for all.

• Sanctuary city - Wikipedia

  icon A sanctuary city is a municipality that limits or denies its cooperation with the national government in enforcing immigration law. Proponents of sanctuary cities cite motives such as reducing the fear of persons which illegally immigrated from deportation, separation of immigrant families, reporting crimes, using health and social services, and enrolling their children into a school. [...] In the United Kingdom, sanctuary cities provide services – such as housing, education, and cultural integration – to asylum seekers (i.e. persons fleeing one country and seeking protection in another). The movement began in Sheffield in 2005. It was motivated by a national policy adopted in 1999 to disperse asylum seekers to different towns and cities in the UK. ### Sheffield [...] Toronto was the first city in Canada to declare itself a sanctuary city, with the Toronto City Council voting 37–3 in February 2013, to adopt a policy allowing undocumented immigrants to access city services. Hamilton, Ontario declared itself a sanctuary city in February 2014 after the Hamilton City Council voted unanimously to allow undocumented immigrants to access city-funded services such as shelters, housing and food banks.

• [PDF] Sanctuary Cities List - AWS

  Center for Immigration Studies / / 03/22/2021 Sanctuary Cities List States California Colorado Connecticut Illinois Massachusetts New Jersey New Mexico New York Oregon Vermont Washington Cities and Counties California Alameda County Berkley Contra Costa County Fremont, CA Los Angeles County Los Angeles Monterey County Napa County Oakland Riverside County Sacramento County San Bernardino County San Diego County San Francisco County/City San Mateo County Santa Ana Santa Clara County Santa Cruz [...] Delaware County Franklin County Lehigh County Lycoming County Montgomery County Montour County Northampton County Philadelphia Pike County Westmoreland County Rhode Island Providence Tennessee Shelby County Virginia Albemarle County Alexandria Arlington County Chesterfield County Fairfax County Vermont Burlington Montpelier Winooski Washington Chelan County Clallam County Clark County Cowlitz County Franklin County Jefferson County King County Kitsap County Pierce County San Juan County Skagit [...] County Pottawattamie County Illinois Chicago Cook County Kansas Butler County Harvey County Louisiana New Orleans Maine Cumberland County Massachusetts Amherst Boston Cambridge Concord Lawrence Newton Northhampton Somerville Maryland Baltimore Howard County Montgomery County Prince George's County Rockville Michigan Ingham County Kalamazoo County Kent County Lansing Wayne County Minnesota Hennepin County Nobles County Mississippi Jackson Nebraska Hall County Sarpy County New Jersey Newark New

• What are Sanctuary Cities? | Global Refuge

  In general, it refers to a policy that limits or defines the extent to which a local/state government will share information with federal immigration law

• Sanctuary Policies: An Overview - American Immigration Council

  In 201 7 and 2018, the DOJ sent letters to a number of cities and counties with sanctuary laws, threatening to withhold criminal justice grants unless the jurisdictions confirmed compliance with Section 1373.Numerous cities and counties sued, with all but one court finding that the grants did not authoriz e imposing such conditions. Even if lawful,Section 1373 does not [...] Over the past decade, an increasing number of sta tes, counties, and cities have adopted a variety of policies intended to promote a greater level of trust and cooperation between local law enforcement and communities with sizeable immigrant populations, regardless of immigration status. These policies include offering English–language classes; issuing municipal identification documents and driver’s licenses to all residents; ensuring that immigrants have equal access to bail; establishing [...] One subset of these policies concerns a state’s or localit y’s role in cooperating with federal authorities to enforce immigration law. These laws, policies, or resolutions are sometimes referred to as “sanctuary” policies,al though no legal or standard definition of the term exists. There are many reasons jurisdictions adopt sanctuary policies, such as: a desire to protect public safety by allowing immigrants to work with police in reporting and investigating crimes without fear of retribution