Sanctuary Cities - Who Voted For It
Segment # 103
The legacy media always provides these nebulous answers to the creation of sanctuary cities. It never made much sense to me so I looked into it. Quite frankly the extent of it and its authoritarian beginnings were a bit shocking but in this world, given our political class, not surprising.
Internet research based on liberal bias provides a BS answer to sanctuary cities that translates to: local governments decide whether they are a sanctuary city. Why.. because the taxpayers will never pass it. Understandably there is now a movement nationally to vote out sanctuary cities.
For example in Texas
In Texas, no city has formally declared itself a sanctuary city. While there are no sanctuary cities in Texas, several cities in the state do not fully cooperate with federal authorities enforcing immigration law
. The Texas legislature has been in the process of passing a bill to ban sanctuary cities, aiming to force local police officers to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and prohibit cities from obstructing officers enforcing immigration laws as passed by the United States
.Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), passed by the Texas Legislature in 2017 and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, aims to outlaw sanctuary cities by requiring local police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities
. Under SB 4, local authorities are forbidden from adopting policies that prevent peace officers from inquiring about a person's immigration status, with penalties for non-compliance including fines and jail time for local leaders
.The University of Houston, as a public university, is bound to follow Texas law, including SB 4. The UH Police Department must comply with SB 4, which allows police to question a person's immigration status upon detainment
. However, UHPD does not proactively check the immigration status of individuals and is committed to fair treatment of all students
.In conclusion, while there are no sanctuary cities in Texas, the state has taken legislative action through SB 4 to enforce cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The debate around sanctuary cities in Texas reflects broader discussions on immigration enforcement and the role of local governments in shaping immigration policies.
History of Sanctuary Cities in the US
The concept of sanctuary cities in the United States has its roots in the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s, which emerged during civil conflicts in Central America, particularly in Guatemala and El Salvador. As migrants fled these conflicts, seeking refuge and asylum, the movement gained momentum. The first city-level sanctuary declarations were influenced by this movement, marking a significant shift in immigration policies.
Evolution of Sanctuary Policies:
1980s to 2010s: The Sanctuary Movement played a crucial role in shaping the evolution of sanctuary policies from the 1980s to the 2010s. These policies underwent changes in language and content, reflecting the political events and conflicts over immigration enforcement and refugee policy during this period
.
Sanctuary cities are not typically on the ballot due to the nature of their establishment and the complexities surrounding immigration policies. The concept of sanctuary cities, like in Chicago, has evolved over time, with their purpose shifting towards protecting undocumented immigrants rather than focusing solely on refugees
. Public opinion on sanctuary cities has become more polarized, influenced by partisan and racial factors, leading to increased conflict between federal and state/local governments
.In some instances, local initiatives related to immigrants have been included in ballots, such as a 2016 ballot initiative in San Francisco allowing noncitizens with children in the public school system to vote in school board elections
. This initiative highlighted the blurred lines between citizens and noncitizens in local policies regarding immigrants, sparking national debates on the meaning of citizenship and the role of local governments in immigration matters
.The issue of sanctuary cities has been a contentious topic, especially under the Trump administration, which sought to crack down on illegal immigration and threatened to cut federal funds from jurisdictions that did not comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts
. Despite this, mayors and police chiefs in major cities like San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., have reaffirmed their commitment to upholding sanctuary policies
.In conclusion, while sanctuary cities themselves may not be directly on the ballot for voters to decide on their existence, related initiatives or policies that touch on immigration matters have occasionally appeared in local ballots. The debate around sanctuary cities reflects broader discussions on citizenship, immigration enforcement, and the role of local governments in shaping immigration policies.
Map: Sanctuary Cities, Counties, and States
Updated December 22, 2023
The sanctuary jurisdictions are listed below. These cities, counties, and states have laws, ordinances, regulations, resolutions, policies, or other practices that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield criminals from ICE — either by refusing to or prohibiting agencies from complying with ICE detainers, imposing unreasonable conditions on detainer acceptance, denying ICE access to interview incarcerated aliens, or otherwise impeding communication or information exchanges between their personnel and federal immigration officers.
A detainer is the primary tool used by ICE to gain custody of criminal aliens for deportation. It is a notice to another law enforcement agency that ICE intends to assume custody of an alien and includes information on the alien's previous criminal history, immigration violations, and potential threat to public safety or security.
Sanctuary Cities List
States
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Illinois
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Oregon
Utah
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 County
Sonoma County
Watsonville
Colorado
Arapahoe County
Aurora
Boulder County
Denver County/City
Garfield County
Grand County
Jefferson County
Larimer County
Mesa County
Pitkin County
Pueblo County
Routt County
San Miguel County
Weld County
Connecticut
East Haven
Hartford
District of Columbia
Washington
Georgia
Clarke County
Clayton County
DeKalb County
Iowa
Cass County
Fremont County
Greene County
Ida County
Iowa City
Johnson County
Marion County
Montgomery 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
Hyattsville 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 Mexico
Bernalillo County
San Miguel
Nevada
Clark County
Washoe County
New York
Albany
Columbia County
Franklin County
Ithaca
Nassau County
New York City
Onondaga County
Westchester County
North Carolina
Buncombe County
Durham County
Forsyth County
Mecklenburg County
Orange County
Wake County
Ohio
Franklin County
Hamilton County
Oklahoma
Oklahoma County
Oregon
Baker County
Clackamas County
Clatsop County
Coos County
Crook County
Curry County
Deschutes County
Douglas County
Eugene
Gilliam County
Grant County
Hood River County
Jackson County
Jefferson County
Josephine County
Lane County
Lincoln County
Linn County
Malheur County
Marion County
Multnomah County
Polk County
Sherman County
Springfield
Tillamook County
Umatilla County
Union County
Wallowa County
Wasco County
Washington County
Wheeler County
Yamhill County
Pennsylvania
Allegheny County
Bucks County
Chester County
Clarion County
Dauphin County
Delaware County
Franklin County
Lehigh County
Lycoming County
Montgomery County
Montour County
Northampton County
Philadelphia
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
Snohomish County
Spokane County
Seattle
Thurston County
Walla Walla County
Wallowa County
Marysville
Whatcom County
Yakima County
