There has been an increasing rise of sanctuary cities in the US. These are locations that- according to the Center for Immigration Studies, provide refugees, asylees, migrants and immigrants with resources to help them live in the country. They also protect undocumented individuals from unwarranted deportation. A list of states that have sanctuary cities includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.
According to Global Refugee, a sanctuary city is defined as a city that promotes the ideals of human rights and the empowerment of communities through the inclusion of immigrants. They are specifically against closed borders, detention, and deportation of migrants. In order to become a sanctuary city, generally the city council and mayor usually vote and decide to declare themselves a statutory city. .
The concept of sanctuary cities started when there was a rise in Guatemalan and Salvadoran refugees arriving into the US. The majority of them were fleeing mass violence and civil wars in their home countries. Activists felt the urgency to help the Central American migrants. In particular, faith communities were the most involved. Hundreds of churches and faith communities joined the movement to help them find sanctuary in the US.. Today’s movement is now known as the New Sanctuary Movement and the sanctuary cities help reduce deaths from deportation and prevent the separation of families. At minimum, Sanctuary cities have successfully enrolled migrant children in public schools and helped families get access to social and health services.
Sanctuary cities have been controversial from their inception. There has been no correlation between crime and the existence of sanctuary cities. Some Americans believe that immigrants, refugees, asylees, migrants and all non-United States citizens bring about crime and increase poverty. However, a 2020 report from the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, or PNAS shows that there was no significant rise in crimes by undocumented immigrants and documented immigrants, as compared to native-born citizens.
A refugee is defined as someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. Usually, there is an underlying reason for the persecution, usually including but not limited to race, nationality, religion, political opinion, or affiliation with a particular social group. Oftentimes, they are subjected to terrible conditions in their home country and as a last resort are forced to evacuate for fear of death and other devastating consequences. Refugees are unwilling and unable to return and in that respect, they do not have a nationality.
Sampan interviewed a Palestinian refugee who described that, while growing up in Gaza, he was forced to live on a 2,000-square-foot plot of land with over 200 other people. He said that oftentimes, it was so hard to move around, living in inhumane conditions, surrounded consistently by trash and human feces because they were not allowed to create any sanitation system. Additionally, their captors limited food supplies and other basic needs so he suffered extreme hunger and freezing temperatures.
An asylee is someone who flees their country and is granted asylum. They flee to escape religious, political, or life-threatening persecution. The status of asylum gives them protection and the legal right to stay and work in this country without fear of deportation. Asylees are eligible to adjust to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status after one year of continuous presence in the United States. However, despite having the status to stay in the United States and also being able to qualify for benefits, being able to qualify for asylum is very difficult. Not only is the application lengthy and difficult, but millions of other applicants are also refugees trying to apply for asylum and it might take months and sometimes years to hear back. Some are never accepted and are in this constant state of being a refugee. The sanctuary cities are helpful since there is only a portion of refugees who can qualify for asylum and they can help protect from deportation many who are in the process of seeking asylum.
Compared to a refugee and an asylee, a migrant is someone who goes to another country on their own will, most of the time looking to have a better life in another country. The key thing about migrants is that they are there temporarily and do not seek permanent residency in the country they migrate to. Oftentimes statutory cities try to provide services to help migrants acclimate and live in the country and communities in which they arrive, despite only being here for a temporary period. However, it is important to remember that although they do their best to protect immigrants, ICE can still come and deport undocumented immigrants.
An immigrant is like a migrant, someone who comes to a new country of their own will, however, they come here permanently. There has recently been a huge uproar against the acceptance of undocumented immigrants, as some Americans believe that they bring crime and disease. They sometimes tend to categorize all immigrants together, believing that immigration, in general, is terrible for America. Other Americans believe that it was through the labor of both immigrants and migrants that much of the foundational systems like trains, transportation, and factories were built in the United States by them. Sanctuary cities advocates believe that they are helping America continue to build its foundation through diversity and inclusion, no matter race, gender, or nationality status.
Sampan interviewed Jiang Zhu, a Chinese immigrant (now an American citizen) who immigrated from Szechuan, China. She mentioned how difficult it was for her to come to America, where she had to get accepted to an American university to get her third master’s. It was a tough time for her when she was getting a college education in a language she was not native to, working two jobs, and being pregnant with her first child. Yet, with all the hard work that she has done, and coming here legally, she often faced both micro and macro aggressions from people, telling her “You should go back to China”. It’s important to remember that no matter if someone is an immigrant( illegal or legal), migrant, refugee, or asylee, respectful treatment is the key. Being able to have an increase in sanctuary cities in the United States with the sanctuary movement is an important step to being able to help protect people with local funds and trying to limit cooperation with federal agencies. However, it is also important to do more, since it doesn’t offer complete immunity and instead provides some protection, and it is important to be informed about such cities and understand how they affect refugees and immigrants.
