INTRODUCTION
Sanctuary cities have increasingly captured the public eye in recent history. Most distressing has been the recent murder of 32 year old Kathryn Steinle by Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, an illegal immigrant in San Francisco recently released from prison . The murder has caused issue because, “in the eyes of staunch immigration-enforcement advocates,” Lopez-Sanchez’ murder of Steinle is the direct result of liberal cities’ policies of protecting undocumented immigrants through a patchwork of laws surrounding the topic .
The issue has been exacerbated by the recent rhetoric of some Republican presidential candidates, such as Donald trump, who “blamed immigration policy for Kate Steinle’s death” . As far as immigration hard-liners are concerned, sanctuary cities provide “safe havens” for undocumented and illegal immigrants as well as a helpful environment for “Latin American drug cartels, gangs, and terrorist cells” .
BACKGROUND
The practice sprouts from many churches who provided ‘sanctuary’ to “immigrants who feared deportation” .Despite no formal definition for ‘Sanctuary Cities,’ they are generally regarded as localities that “have policies or laws that limit the extent to which law enforcement and other government employees will go to assist the federal government on immigration matters” . This can range from limiting cooperation with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) branch of Homeland security, to outright implementing policy against enforcing ICE policies.
The concept “emerged in the 1980’s as a response to a massive wage of immigrants to the US fleeing civil wars in Latin America” – mostly in response to the Reagan administration’s “decision to deport immigrants fleeing civil wars” involving the administration . However, the practice found strong support in the form of local police departments who felt that heavily enforcing immigration policies alienated segments of their population – hampering their ability to connect with said communities and ultimately solve crimes. Sanctuary cities assist in connecting with immigrant communities and “their ability to fight crime and protect the entire community”
BACKLASH
As noted, public opinion has begun to turn against sanctuary cities in the wake of Steinle’s murder and the rhetoric of populist presidential candidates. Cuison notes prominent cities, such as Houston, who “rejects the label ‘sanctuary city’” as well as other cities where sanctuary city resolutions failed to pass . Recently, House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations chairman, Rep. John Culberson, “pledged to block so-called sanctuary cities from receiving federal funding” . The representative’s arguments have gained traction with some media outlets, not limited to the Wall Street Journal, as well as many opponents of illegal immigration.
This issue, and the stance taken by federal representatives, pits local police departments and municipalities against the central government. Lewis et al. note that “immigrant-supportive city policy commitments and the presence of a Hispanic police chief” tend to lean towards sanctuary city practices . The perspectives of both proponents and critics of sanctuary city policies skews their ability to effectively harmonize their positions. Opponents view it as an immigration issue – squarely under the jurisdiction of the federal government; while proponents – namely, local police organizations – see the detrimental effects that take place when communities are afraid and unwilling to assist in police investigations for fear of deportation. Unfortunately, the issue becomes an addendum to the long list of issues pitting local police organizations against greater public opinion.
Police organizations and police unions tend to be social-organizing unions wherein the “bonds of solidarity within the rank and file provide the foundation from which concerted action emanates” . Under this model, the leadership, staff and bureaucracy exists to “organize, energize and activate the rank and file collective action” . This type of collective action movement can be positive, – such as the current argument for sanctuary cities and their positive effect on local communities – or they can be negative – such as Rosenfield’s argument against police unions in America. Rosenfield argues that the state of police unions make them unresponsive to public opinion and, in fact, make them more adept at eschewing both public opinion and legal decisions regarding violent and corrupt officers .
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, police officers are in the best position to see the benefits of sanctuary city laws as well as taking advantage of them to make communities safer. However, opponents of said policies are correct in arguing that they create both safe havens for undocumented immigrants of both the law-abiding and criminal varieties. The lack of a uniform policy concerning sanctuary cities creates the issues of discordance and inconsistent immigration policy. To answer the concerns of both proponents and opponents of sanctuary cities alike, the federal government should cooperate with local governments to create uniform policies by grandfathering the current sanctuary cities while eliminating the possibility of new sanctuary cities in the future. This would create a natural barrier for undocumented migrants by providing a ‘safe zone’ within sanctuary cities – and containing the lax policies within existing sanctuary cities – while eliminating the creeping encroachment of the concept which concerns opponents of the policy.
References
Arnold, C. (2016, March 16). Putting Sanctuary Cities on Notice. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/articles/puttingsanctuarycitiesonnotice1458168522
Cuison Villazor, R. (2007). What is a Sanctuary? SMU Dedman School of Law Review, Vol. 61, 133-156.
Freeman, J. B. (2001). Working-Class New Yor: Life and Labor Since World War II. New York, NY: New Press.
Lewis, P. G., & al., e. (2012). Why Do (Some) City Police Departments Enforce Federal Immigration Law? Political, Demographic, and Organizational Influences on Local Choices. Journal of Public Administration research and Theory, 1-25.
Noonan, S., & al., e. (2014). A Sea of Red: Chicago Teachers Union members reflect on how the social organizing model of unionism helped win the union's 2012 contract campaign. Chicago, IL: Chicago Teacher's Union.
Pearson, M. (2015, July 8). What's a 'sanctuary city,' and why should you care? Retrieved from CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/06/us/san-francisco-killing-sanctuarycities/
Rosenfield, S. (2015, January 8). The Real Reason Police Unions Enable the Worst Cop Abuses. Retrieved 2016, from Alternet: http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/real-reason-police-unions-enable-worst-cop-abuses
Tani, M. (2015, July 20). A chilling alleged murder has thrown a major new wrinkle into an already complicated debate. Retrieved from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-are-sanctuary-cities-2015-7
Tramonte, L. (2011). Debunking the Myth of "Sanctuary Cities": Community policing policies protect American communities. Washington, D.C.: Immigration Policy Center.
