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A sanctuary city is a jurisdiction that limits its cooperation with the federal government in the enforcement of immigration laws. Sanctuary cities welcome refugees and undocumented immigrants without fear of prosecution or deportation by its municipal agencies. There are currently 18 sanctuary jurisdictions in the state of Pennsylvania. Sanctuary jurisdictions exist in Bradford County, Bucks County, Chester County, Clarion County, Delaware County, Erie County, Franklin County, Lebanon County, Lehigh County, Lycoming County, Montgomery County, Montour County, Perry County, Philadelphia County, Pike County, and Westmoreland County.

History

The Sanctuary Movement began in the 1980s to challenge the US government’s refusal to grant asylum to certain Central American refugees who arrived from countries in Central America like El Salvador and Guatemala that were politically unstable.

Timeline of the sanctuary movement in Pennsylvania

• April 16, 2014 — Philadelphia became a sanctuary city. Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order which prevented local police from holding someone in custody longer than they otherwise would, solely because of their non-citizen status, and limited the amount of information shared with the Department of Homeland Security about individuals released from custody, unless they were violent felons or the federal government had issued a warrant. While this order was briefly rescinded during Nutter’s last two weeks in office, Mayor Jim Kenney reinstated it on the day of his inauguration, January 4, 2016, reaffirming Philadelphia’s sanctuary status.

• June 27, 2016 — U.S. Senator Pat Toomey introduced the “Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act.” bill in the Senate to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities.

• Oct. 17, 2016 — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1885, an anti-sanctuary bill with 136 votes for and 55 against. Organizers at the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia spoke out against this bill, calling attention to the inherent racial profiling in its requirement that police report the immigration of status anytime there is “reasonable cause to believe” a person could be undocumented. The bill stalled in the Senate.

• Jan. 25, 2017 — President Donald Trump signed an executive order cutting federal funding to sanctuary cities. On the same day, Pennsylvania Senate Bill 10, which would cut all state grant funding to cities that do not comply with federal immigration law was first considered in the Senate.

• Feb. 7, 2017 — Pennsylvania Senate Bill 10 passed in the State Senate. It was sent to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where it has not yet been voted on.

• April 3, 2017 — Pennsylvania House Bill 28 was introduced, seeking to cut funding for sanctuary cities and make police non-disclosure policies illegal.

• July 21, 2017 — Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered a speech in Philadelphia in which he called on sanctuary cities to cooperate with federal authorities on issues of immigration. Kenney responded, arguing that sanctuary policies keep Philadelphia safer.

• Aug. 30, 2017 — The City of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit against Sessions and the Department of Justice. In order to receive a $1.67 million federal grant, Sessions had required that Philadelphia and other sanctuary cities allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to question immigrants held in any detention facility, and that they be willing to provide notice two days before releasing an undocumented person from custody. The city argued that these requirements “are contrary to law, unconstitutional, and arbitrary and capricious.”

• Sept. 5, 2017 — Sessions announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Sessions announced the suspension of new applications and gave Congress a six-month window to act to replace it.

• Sept. 29, 2017 — ICE announced that it had detained 498 people over four days in 10 sanctuary cities in “Operation Safe City.” Over 100 people were arrested in Philadelphia, more than in any other city.

• Oct. 11, 2017 — The federal government issued a warning to sanctuary cities, requiring them to demonstrate their compliance with federal immigration law by Oct. 27.

• Nov. 15, 2017 — A federal judge ruled in favor of Philadelphia in its lawsuit fighting Sessions’ August attempt to block distribution of law enforcement funds for the city. Kenney expressed anger at the need for the lawsuit in the first place: “This is not a time for jubilation.”

Controversy

In February 2017, the Pennsylvania State Senate approved a bill that would withhold state funds from 'sanctuary cities' that do not share information on undocumented residents with federal authorities. The vote passed the senate 37-12, with every Republican senator and three Democratic senators supporting the bill . The bill would result in a loss of up to $1.3 billion for municipalities seeing as harboring the undocumented. Concerns over whether states can legally require municipalities to assist with the enforcement of federal law arise as some believe that the federal government must enforce its own immigration policies. There has been a long-running debate on whether or not these policies lead to more violence. Many government officials, including Philadelphia’s mayor, Jim Kenney, argue that these policies are counterproductive as they lead to more crime and that crime rates declined the year he reinstated a sanctuary city policy. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on the other hand, argues that these cities give sanctuary to criminals. Sessions has threatened numerous cities including Philadelphia with subpoenas if they fail to provide documents to show whether local law enforcement officers are sharing information with federal immigration authorities. This comes as a push in the Trump Administration's efforts to crackdown on immigration.