|
Sanctuary Cities: What are they?
By Steve Salvi (Revised
4-5-08)
Despite a 1996 federal law [the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act (
IIRIRA )] that requires local governments to cooperate with Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE), many large urban cities (and some small) have adopted so-called "sanctuary policies."
Generally, sanctuary policies instruct city employees not to notify the federal government of the presence of illegal aliens living in their communities. The policies also end the distinction between legal and illegal
immigration--so illegal aliens often benefit from city services too.
A formal sanctuary policy is a written policy that may
have been passed by a local government body in the form of a resolution,
ordinance, or administrative action--general or special orders, or
departmental policies. Formal sanctuary cities
are the easiest to identify because they put their sanctuary policies in
writing, which become subject to public records requests. The
Governor of Maine instituted an Executive Order entitled "An
Order Concerning Access to State Services By All Entitled Maine
Residents," in 2004. The Order limits state employee ability to
report the presence of illegal aliens, which some people claim has resulted in many illegal
aliens coming to Maine seeking public benefits and valid Maine drivers
licenses which can be used to drive in other states. Gavin Newsom,
the mayor of San Francisco, California, is publicizing the fact that San
Francisco is a sanctuary for illegal aliens. Here is Mayor
Newsom's official April, 2008 press release for San
Francisco's Sanctuary City Outreach Program. An informal sanctuary policy is a policy that does not
exist on paper but none-the-less is carried out by government workers
(administrative, service, or safety). An informal sanctuary policy
is more difficult to document since no public record
exists. A city with an informal sanctuary policy can however be
evidenced in other ways. A local
government's (e.g., township, village, city, or county) interaction with illegal aliens
can evidence an "unwritten" sanctuary policy. For example,
does the police
department contact ICE after determining that a driver involved in a misdemeanor
traffic stop is an illegal alien or are they let go with no call
to ICE? Statements and actions by public official can indicate a community's unwritten
policy. Did a mayor of a town hire illegal alien day
laborers for a city project? Does a mayor, city administrator, or
other city official complain to the press
that illegal aliens were arrested by ICE? These statements and
actions are indicators that an informal (unwritten) sanctuary policy may
exist in a community. News reports can also shed light on a local
government unwritten policies.
One justification of creating sanctuary cities is often under the guise of protecting "immigrant
rights." But illegal aliens are not immigrants -- immigrants come to the US legally, and maintain their legal presence. When a person is illegally smuggled into the
U.S. or violates their visa restrictions -- he/she is not an immigrant or visitor, but an illegal alien subject to deportation. Why
do public officials pass sanctuary laws or establish unwritten "don't
ask--don't tell" policies? There are a variety of reasons.
Some politicians attempt to appease illegal immigration support groups who lobby local governments to implement formal or informal sanctuary
policies. Other reasons include political contributions and support at election time; complacency, ignorance, or "don't care" attitudes;
and purposeful resistance to existing US immigration law based upon an
open-border political philosophy that may serve their economic, political,
or ethnocentric interests.
Sanctuary policies--official or
otherwise, result in safe havens for illegal aliens
and potential terrorists. Sanctuary policies allow criminal aliens to avoid deportation because they prevent local police from reporting
alien criminals to ICE. To learn more about the consequence of sanctuary policies and lax
enforcement visit the Victims of Illegal Aliens
Memorial and the OJJPAC
homepage.
What can you do to help stop sanctuary policies?--Demand change! Call the
President and your members of Congress
(U.S. House and U.S. Senate) and ask for
aggressive interior enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. At the state and
local level, attend scheduled public meetings and ask your public officials what your community's policies
are in regards to illegal aliens. If your local government or
state has official or unofficial sanctuary policies, ask that they be
repealed or changed. Here is
a story about what legislators in the state of Georgia are doing to oppose
sanctuary cities in their state. Here is a link to Georgia
Senate Bill 340 that addresses sanctuary cities in that state. Does your city have a written or
"unwritten" sanctuary policy? First,
read the following disclaimer and then view the list below. |
