What is a Sanctuary City, why does it matter, what is the current debate and what should we pay attention to?

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June 22, 2017
Hello Neighbor Policy Briefing #2
Subject: What is a Sanctuary City, why does it matter, what is the current debate and what
should we pay attention to?
What is a “Sanctuary City?”
The definition of a “sanctuary city” is actually a little bit murky, despite its omnipresence.
According to a 2016 article in The New Yorker:
“What people get all wrong is that they hear the word ‘sanctuary,’ and they think it’s
about harboring people.” Unlike sanctuary churches, sanctuary cities aren’t pursuing a
public act of subversion but rather a course of non-cooperation, telling their police and
jail personnel to refuse assistance to federal immigration authorities in their efforts to
deport immigrants.”1
In return, those opposed to the idea of sanctuary cities have threatened to cut both state and
federal funding. This is the case in Pennsylvania, where the state senate “approved legislation
that would withhold state money from so-called sanctuary cities and other municipalities that
do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.”2
So where did the idea of “sanctuary cities” originate?
Sanctuary cities was first used in the lexicon starting in the 1980s, with many churches offering
protection to Central American refugees, mainly from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan group based in Washington, D.C.,
“The defense of the Salvadorans and Guatemalans marked a new use of international
human rights norms by U.S. activists. Citing the Nuremberg principles of personal
accountability developed in the post-World War II Nazi tribunals, religious activists
claimed a legal precedent to justify their violation of U.S. laws against alien smuggling.”3
1
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-limits-of-sanctuary-cities
2
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2017/02/08/Pennsylvania-Senate-moves-to-block-
state-grants-to-Philly-other-sanctuary-cities/stories/201702080138
3
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/central-americans-and-asylum-policy-reagan-era/

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Other congregations felt that they had a moral obligation to offer sanctuary. More recently
David Denvirs in an article for Slate, offers the following recent history:
“Sanctuary cities were a critical victory won by activists. They were implemented
because outraged immigrant communities—with assistance from federal courts that
found detentions raised serious constitutional issues — successfully pressured cities to
refuse to cooperate with federal detainer requests. In Washington, that pressure led
Mr. Obama, who had carried out mass deportations, to more narrowly define which
immigrants would be prioritized for removal, among other reforms. But Mr. Obama left
the program’s basic information-sharing architecture in place and ready for full
deployment by the most nativist administration in recent U.S. history.”4
What about ICE raids?
What are they?
ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is branch of the
Department of Homeland Security. According to their website, the organization
was created in 2003 after a merger of the Customs Service and Immigration and
Naturalization Service.5
The three wings of the organization include Enforcement
and Removal Operations (Deportation), Homeland Security Investigations, and
finally Management and Administration.6
Where are ICE raids occurring?
According to an article from NPR in February of 2017, there have been reported
crackdowns (thus, increased ICE activity) in the following states: California,
Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, New York and Texas.7
However, ICE
maintains that they are operating normally.8
However, on the homepage of their
website is an article that says ERO immigration arrests have climbed 40%. 9
4
http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2017/02/27/The-false-promise-of-sanctuary-
cities/stories/201702260051
5
https://www.ice.gov/about.
6
Ibid.
7
http://www.npr.org/2017/02/11/514732194/ice-says-recent-immigration-raids-are-business-
as-usual
8
Ibid.
9
https://www.ice.gov/features/100-days

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Are ICE raids effective?
The Washington Post states that despite the fact that ICE is only supposed to
target people with felony convictions, there is little evidence and transparency
regarding those picked up. The article has the following to say, citing the
Mexican consul in Austin:
“Carlos González Gutiérrez, Austin’s consul general of Mexico, visits ICE
detention centers each day to provide legal support and interview Mexican
nationals held in detention. On a typical day, he said, he talks to between one
and three immigrants who have been detained. When he arrived last Thursday,
he found 14 Mexican nationals in custody. On Friday, there were 30. ‘There are
cases of mistaken identity, cases of people who were passengers in cars that
were pulled over, cases of people who are married to U.S. citizens and who have
children who are born and live in this country,’ said Gutiérrez, who has spoken
with many of those detained in Austin. ‘It is pretty devastating what happens to
the families that were caught in these nets. The destruction that comes after one
of these operations is astounding.’”10
What happens to families after ICE Raids?
Families are often separated, without regard to American-born children, while
there are numerous examples, the following have received a fair bit of media
attention. Fatima Avelica-Gonzalez witnessed her father’s deportation as he
dropped her off at school.11
She had this to say: “My dad was detained in front
of me on my way to school,” Fatima told reporters. “It was the hardest thing to
watch, but I still went to school because my father showed me the importance of
education. I knew I’d have someone to support me there.”12
A mother of two American-born children was deported after her yearly check-in
with authorities, due to her previous felony charge of using a fake Social Security
number. In previous years, she had been released after checking in. Now the
family is divided as the children must go back and forth to see their mother in
Mexico.13
10
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/federal-immigration-raids-net-many-without-
criminal-records-sowing-fear/2017/02/16/a37e5e76-f486-11e6-a9b0-
ecee7ce475fc_story.html?utm_term=.4faf7c5f79c1
11
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/03/29/a-13-year-old-sobbed-
on-camera-when-ice-took-her-father-away-now-she-has-a-plan/?utm_term=.81dc9eef4f2a
12
Ibid.
13
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/10/us/arizona-garcia-de-rayos-protests/index.html

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There have also been numerous examples of restaurants being raided by ICE
officers, with more than 50 people being detained in a raid in Mississippi. 14
Other raids targeting both patrons and workers have occurred around the
country, including in cities that are perceived to be progressive, like Ann Arbor,
MI.15
Who has identified as a Sanctuary City in the United States?
As the New York Times explains, “[c]ompiling a comprehensive list of cities that could be
considered sanctuaries is challenging. In some places, officials have publicly declared their city
to be a sanctuary, but the city may not have actual policies in place.”16
Therefore, the following list is not conclusive in any way, but can highlight the number, and
diversity (in terms of size and geographic location), of cities that call themselves sanctuary
cities. The same article cited above has an interactive map compiled by the Immigrant Legal
Resource Center that shows the different counties that have rules about limiting local police
cooperation with federal authorities.
Interestingly, there are five states that have limited this on a state level, specifically California,
Connecticut, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.17
According to the Washington Post, there
are more than 150 cities listed on Trump’s “name-and-shame” list of sanctuary cities published
by ICE, as of March 2017.18
The following list of sanctuary cities is not comprehensive, but rather intended to give the
reader an overall sense of which cities are taking steps to limit deportations.19
• Amherst, MA
• Aurora, CO
• Baltimore, MD
• Berkeley, CA
• Boston, MA
14
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-mississippi-immigration-raids-20170223-story.html
15
https://detroit.eater.com/2017/5/24/15685860/savas-restaraurant-ann-arbor-ice-raid-
arrests
16
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/02/us/sanctuary-cities.html
17
Ibid.
18
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/29/sanctuary-cities-now-number-150-
baltimore-added-to/
19
http://cis.org/Sanctuary-Cities-Map

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• Cambridge, MA
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas County, TX
• Hartford, CT
• Ithaca, NY
• Johnson County, IA (part of the Iowa City metro area)
• Lawrence, MA
• Milwaukee, WI
• New Haven, CT
• New Orleans, LA
• New York, NY
• Newark, NJ
• Northampton, MA
• Orange County, CA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Santa Ana, CA
• Springfield, OR
• Travis County, TX (county around Austin, TX)
• Washington, DC
• Winooski, VT
• Also note that county jails in Colorado and New Mexico will not allow ICE operators
As can be seen, there are a variety of geographic areas on the map, but each city has its own
rules and regulations. This has focused on cities, but there are also interesting county, and state
rules, including some counties that comprise the Pittsburgh Metro Area. We strongly
recommend exploring the map more in depth if you have the time!
What is the definition of a “Sanctuary Campus?
Many universities in the U.S. have also been struggling with the decision of whether or not to
become “sanctuary campuses,” particularly for “Dreamer” students, who often came to the
U.S. as very young children with their parents. These students, who could previously register for
deferred deportation action, may now be more vulnerable, if they provided their personal
information in order to register. Some schools are adamantly opposed, and if public could face
funding cuts. Wesleyan was one of the first schools to declare itself a sanctuary campus,

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followed by Columbia20
. However, many schools struggle with the balance between public and
private, with many taking the risk of losing funding.
This has been the case at the University of Pittsburgh, where there had been calls from
students and faculty, but no concrete answer from the Chancellor, mostly due to funding
concerns21
22
23
. This is not restricted to Universities, as the board of Pittsburgh Public Schools
unanimously voted to become a “sanctuary campus” in January of 201724
.
What are other examples of sanctuary?
The restaurant and food industry is a new area in which the concept of sanctuary has
expanded. In February of 2017, following the travel ban, NPR published a piece about efforts
for inclusion, both on the employee and client side.25
According to the reporting, approximately
one in four restaurant workers is foreign-born. This figure does not include agricultural workers,
which are also mentioned briefly. This emphasis on safety and inclusion has spanned small
restaurants in Detroit, one of which went as far as to declare itself a sanctuary restaurant, to
companies as large as Pepsi.
What about Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has defined itself as a “Welcoming City,” but not a Sanctuary City. Pittsburgh Mayor
Bill Peduto, had these words to say about the city, and its possible status as a “sanctuary city”.
“Pittsburgh is, has been, and always will be a welcoming city and a diverse city. It’s in
our nature. We are a tough city, a blue-collar city and a city with a big heart. We will
continue to show everyone the respect and compassion they deserve – regardless of
20
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/education/edlife/sanctuary-for-undocumented-
students.html
21
http://pittnews.com/article/116765/top-stories/state-universities-odds-upcoming-anti-
sanctuary-campus-bill/
22
http://pittnews.com/article/113903/top-stories/pitts-campus/
23
http://pittnews.com/article/114723/top-stories/pitt-faculty-petitions-administration-for-
sanctuary-campus-114723/
24
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2017/01/25/Pittsburgh-Public-Schools-
declares-itself-sanctuary-campus/stories/201701250214
25
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/02/08/514133875/amid-travel-ban-debate-chefs-
and-food-brands-take-a-stand-on-immigration

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who they are, where they’re from, who they love or how they found their way to our
beloved city.”26
Pittsburgh has stopped a step short of being a sanctuary city. The reason for this is nuanced. By
being a “welcoming city,” Pittsburgh stands up and protects its citizens but is not at risk of
being placed on President Trump’s list of cities to defund. In February, the state senate
approved a bill to defund sanctuary cities. The website PennsylvaniaWatchdog.org says that
there are 17 cities and counties in the state that would stand to lose funding from this bill. 27
How does this impact refugees?
In the most fundamental legal ways, it does not. Refugees are legally in the United States.
However, from a life and practical standpoint, it could and does impact their lives because they
might not understand how they are affected and could also make them fearful of law
enforcement. It’s also important from an advocacy perspective that we understand issues that
face immigrants vs. refugees are not independent and are topics we should be able to speak on
and be educated about.
26
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2017/01/25/mayor-peduto-responds-to-president-trumps-
executive-orders-regarding-immigration/
27
Text of the bill can be found at the following website:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=201
7&sessInd=0&billBody=S&billTyp=B&billNbr=0010&pn=0295.