Think you know all there is to know about America’s sanctuary cities? Think again.
As the Daily News notes, the very definition of a sanctuary city is still up in the air. “It’s in a sense up to almost any city that wants to put itself in that category to define what it means,” said UC Irvine political science professor Louis DeSipio. Of course, many municipalities are outright calling themselves sanctuaries. City News has been following their declarations here. But for many others, the issue is far more complex.
Why would a city want to declare itself in violation of federal immigration rules? That’s complicated too. Cities’ elected officials and their public safety personnel are often at odds with each other on the issue. Sometimes they’re on the same side but for different reasons. In either case, we’ve seen schisms as a result. Remember L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn taking Sheriff McDonnell to task over his comments on SB 54?
There are a number of other questions surrounding this issue, including what full cooperation with federal immigration officials would look like. Be sure to check out the Daily News' article on the 5 things you may not know about sanctuary cities.