Sanctuary city

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the .(December 2007) Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

A sanctuary city is a United States city that follows certain practices that protect immigrants, including undocumented immigrants. These practices can be explicit (de jure) or they can be implicit (de facto). The city can be considered a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants who wish to avoid deportation; in short, such a city does not enforce immigration law.

US Cities Referred to as Sanctuary Cities

Cities Referred to as Sanctuary Cities

Many cities in the United States have been termed as such, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Detroit, Jersey City, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Baltimore, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, New Haven, Connecticut and Portland, Maine. These cities have adopted "sanctuary" ordinances banning city employees and police officers from asking people about their immigration status.^[1][2]

Controversy

Proponents

Please help improve this article by expanding this section. See for details. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded.

Proponents of such policies argue that they promote efforts of police and public health departments to cooperate with immigrant communities in order to reduce crime and improve public health in those communities. Proponents of sanctuary policies, particularily local public servants in sanctuary cities, may be led to assume that Hispanic voters with American citizenship will support them in elections if it is perceived that they support policies that help Hispanics of any citizenship.^[3]

This section has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the .

Critics

Critics have argued that a large proportion of violent crimes in some sanctuary cities result from this policy. Critics have also asserted that the policy provides a refuge for international gangs such as the MS-13 gang.^[4] Critics have also claimed that the sanctuary policy derives from reluctance of politicians to alienate cities' immigrant populations. They contend that the size of these communities has increased their clout. ^{[5][opinion needs balancing]}

This section has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the .

Issues of Houston being a sanctuary city have arisen again thanks to Bill O'Reilly of FoxNews. In mid-December 2007 O'Reilly blamed the mayor of Houston, Bill White, and Houston's Police Chief for the recent death of two illegal immigrants shot by a homeowner during a nighttime burglary of a neighbor's home in the nearby city of Pasadena. O'Reilly thinks Mayor Whites' policy of not enforcing the laws on illegal alien criminals was the root cause of the incident, ie. if the laws were properly enforced then the illegials would not have been in the position of commmiting a burglary and then being killed by the homeowner. Controversy surrounds the case because both men had criminal histories and one of them had been deported and then came back to the US illegally. Also recorded 911 calls indicate the homowner intended to kill the men before he confronted them, but an undercover police officer who actually witnessed the shooting stated the men ran toward the homeowner. These facts have been presented to a Grand Jury and their findings are not known as yet. As reported in a Houston Chronicle article of Dec. 23, 2007, news stories like this do not throw a good light on the city and the mayor's denials of Houston being a Sanctuary City. The incident also underscores complaints referenced in the article that illegial alien crime is an issue in the city and the mayor is not doing enough to prevent it.^[6]

Concern is growing in Newark, New Jersey, following the execution-style murders of three young men. Critics have expressed concern that the prime suspect is an undocumented immigrant. ^[7]City councilor Ron Rice pointed to the city's sanctuary status and suggested that Newark reconsider its sanctuary city status.^[8] State Senator Nick Asselta has likewise expressed concern revisiting the sanctuary posture at the state level.^[9]

Political Action

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 addressed the relationship between the federal government and local governments. Minor crimes, such as shoplifting, became grounds for possible deportation. ^[10] Additionally, the legislation outlawed cities' bans against municipal workers' reporting persons' immigration status to federal authorities. ^[11] Section 287(g) is a program of the act that deputizes state and local law enforcement personnel to enforce immigration matters. ^{[12] [13][14]} This provision was implemented by local and state authorities in five states, California, Arizona, Alabama, Florida and North Carolina by the end of 2006. ^[15] On June 16, 2007 the United States House of Representatives passed an amendment to a Department of Homeland Security spending bill that would withhold federal emergency services funds from sanctuary cities. Congressman Tom Tancredo (Republican-Colorado) was the sponsor of this amendment. 50 Democrats joined Republicans to support the amendment. The amendment would have to pass the United States Senate to become effective.^[16] September 18, 2007, Republican Congresspersons introduced legislation targeting sanctuary cities. Reps. Brian Bilbray, R-Cal., Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., Thelma Drake, R-Va., Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Tom Tancredo, R-Colo introduced the bill. The legislation would make undocumented immigrant status a felony, instead of a civil offense. Also, the bill targets sanctuary cities by withholding up to 50 percent of Department of Homeland Security funds from the cities.^[17] On September 5, 2007 Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told a House committee that "I certainly wouldn't tolerate interference" by sanctuary cities that would block his "Basic Pilot Program" that requires employers to validate the legal status of their workers. "We're exploring our legal options. I intend to take as vigorous legal action as the law allows to prevent that from happening, prevent that kind of interference." ^[18]

References