The Sanctuary Cities and the US Government

immigration situation in the US' sanctuary cities

America’s culture for immigrants

The US has always been characterized as a country with freedom. Its culture has made everyone feel welcome in their land. It is a country specialized in international trade and the development of world technology.

The US is one of the pillars of the world’s economy and has supported third world countries, helping them to use their resources efficiently and effectively.

Freedom has been the most representative insignia of North America’s culture, in fact, the dream of living there is so great that thousands of immigrants travel from all over the world to be part of a better future and be able to build their work and professional lives.

Many immigrants travel to be with their families or for work/business trips.

The Sanctuary Cities

The territory of the US is vast and encompasses so many cultures and beliefs that, over time, internal communities that support different points of view have been created.

There are some cities called “Sanctuary Cities” which are cultures that oppose the country’s immigration policies. These cities originated in the US and Western Europe due to the government-imposed rules regarding the entry of immigrants.

In the sanctuary cities there is a large population of undocumented immigrants who are protected from deportation or detention by the government.

How has the government reacted to sanctuary cities?

Usually, sanctuary cities were respected by governments, however, Trump’s administration dispatched border patrol units to these cities in February 2020 to arrest undocumented immigrants.

In addition to that, the agents they are sending have military training and possession of weapons, which frightens and intimidates marginalized immigrant communities.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) thanked Trump’s government for assisting with immigration work as the Customs and Border Protection Office joined the cause by sending its specialized agents as well.

It is important to highlight that the strategy to capture undocumented immigrants is also being carried out in large cities in the country such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

This has been the last recorded move by the government in its task of arresting all people found to be illegal in the US.

List of States

The list of states where border patrols are being sent is the following:

  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Illinois
  • Massachusetts
  • New Jersey
  • new Mexico
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • Vermont

There are multiple sanctuary cities in these states.

Defenders raise their voices

Naureen Shah, advocate advisor on immigrant rights of the American Civil Liberties Union announced: “This is transparent retaliation against local governments for refusing to do the administration’s bidding (…) It will put lives at risk by further militarizing our streets.”

The result

Figures have not yet been released on the number of undocumented immigrants who have been captured.

The government has not formalized any information about the facilities where they will keep immigrants. This is a concern for advocates as the immigration detention centers are already mostly full.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in Progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys. Alternatively, simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799