Some "sanctuary cities" won't detain immigrants for fear of being sued By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.21.15 Word Count 896 Jim Steinle (second from left), the father of Kathryn Steinle (in photograph), testifies next to Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Chief J. Thomas Manger (right) before a Senate Judiciary hearing on the administration's immigration enforcement policies, in Washington, D.C., July 21, 2015. Photo: AP Photo/Molly Riley HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. The term "sanctuary city" has become a rallying cry for conservative Republicans seeking tougher immigration laws. These cities are havens, Republicans claim, where those who are in the country illegally are protected from immigration authorities. The reality is that while some cities ignore federal immigration policies, many refuse to enforce them. They feel no special sympathy for immigrants, but they do fear lawsuits. In July, a woman named Kathryn Steinle was fatally shot on a San Francisco pier, allegedly by an immigrant who was released from jail even though U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sought to deport him for a sixth time. Since then, the debate over how to handle cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities has heated up.
Some Politicians Want To Punish Cities On July 23, House Republicans passed a bill aimed at punishing cities that refuse to share information with federal immigration authorities. If it is passed by the full Congress, President Barack Obama has threatened to veto it. The bill doesn't specifically address the release of immigrants sought by federal authorities for deportation. However, the Republicans are introducing other legislation to do so. The vote came after presidential hopeful Donald Trump attacked illegal immigration on the campaign trail. Notably liberal San Francisco has openly declared itself a haven for all immigrants regardless of whether they are here legally. However, some of the cities and counties that have stopped detaining immigrants are politically conservative. They are not trying to shield residents from deportation. Court Rules Against Holding Immigrants In Jail A federal court in Oregon decided that requests to hold immigrants for up to 48 hours, called detainers, were not sufficient reason to keep someone in jail. So the city of Huntington Beach, California, which is predominantly white and Republican, stopped holding these immigrants last summer for purely legal reasons. "We don't have any policy or anything that prohibits our folks from interacting with ICE. We just follow the law," said Police Chief Robert Handy. He added that his officers don't generally ask about immigration status because it doesn't relate to the cases, not because they're protecting anyone. "If they go get a warrant, we'll hold them in our jail. If they ask us to go help for a search warrant on a drug house, we're going to help them." San Francisco declared itself a sanctuary city more than two decades ago and continues to advertise itself as a place of refuge for immigrants. In 1989, the city banned officials from enforcing immigration laws or asking about immigration status, unless required by law or court order. In 2009, it began issuing municipal identification cards to get a public library card and sign up for park programs. 200 Cities Ignore Detention Requests Today, San Francisco is one of more than 200 cities and counties that have stopped fully following requests to detain immigrants who are in the country without permission. The localities vary widely on how far they go to welcome immigrants or whether they're trying to assist them at all. A big distinction is the reasoning behind local detainer policies. Places like Cook County, Illinois, and Santa Clara County, California, are trying to get immigrant communities to trust the police. Others, such as San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California, claim they fear they will get sued.
"When you use the term sanctuary city, it implies a policy decision that's been made about how the city should engage with the immigrant community," said Jennie Pasquarella. She is a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. "Most of the detainer policies were adopted to address the legal concerns," she said. Mark Krikorian is the executive director of the anti-illegal immigration Center for Immigration Cities. He acknowledged the difference between cities wanting to cultivate trust versus avoiding a lawsuit. But he said the effect was similar whether a city wanted to work with ICE or not. "Some may cooperate here but not there. Some may cooperate on certain matters but not other matters. But any jurisdiction that does not cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities seems to me qualifies as a sanctuary city," Krikorian said. U.S. Officials Ask For Alerts On Jail Releases Last year, a number of localities that had long worked closely with ICE stopped holding detainers because of the ruling in Oregon. In response, immigration authorities said they would start asking police to simply let them know when a person, who was suspected of being in the country illegally, was about to get released not necessarily detain them. They believe the new approach, combined with a focus on more serious offenders, will lead to better cooperation from local police. In Southern California, immigration agents have tended to work more closely with sheriff's departments that run the county jails, where most serious offenders wind up. Smaller city jails usually serve as short-term holding centers for less serious arrests. In the Orange County jail, deputies regularly interview immigrants about their legal status as part of a close collaboration with federal immigration agents. They tell the agents when someone flagged for possible deportation is due to be released. But the agency doesn't hold people on the detainers due to legal concerns, said Steve Kea, assistant sheriff of custody operations. "We are not a 'sanctuary' jurisdiction by any existing definition," said Orange County Undersheriff John Scott.
Quiz 1 Based on the section "Some Politicians Want To Punish Cities," which of the following statements is most likely TRUE? All sanctuary cities are politically liberal. Trump supports sanctuary cities. President Obama does not support punishing sanctuary cities. Congress will not pass a bill against sanctuary cities. 2 Based on the section "Court Rules Against Holding Immigrants In Jail," why did Huntington Beach, California, stop holding immigrants who are here illegally? because they want to be a sanctuary city because they want to protect immigrants who are here illegally because they do not want to know their immigration status because they are concerned about following the law 3 Read the paragraph from the introduction [paragraphs 1-3]. The term "sanctuary city" has become a rallying cry for conservative Republicans seeking tougher immigration laws. These cities are havens, Republicans claim, where those in the country illegally are protected from immigration authorities. Which of the following words from the paragraph are MOST closely related in meaning? rallying and protected sanctuary and havens illegally and immigration conservative and authorities 4 Which paragraph in the section "200 Cities Ignore Detention Requests" includes a word that could be replaced by the word "gain" or "increase?"
Answer Key 1 Based on the section "Some Politicians Want To Punish Cities," which of the following statements is most likely TRUE? All sanctuary cities are politically liberal. Trump supports sanctuary cities. President Obama does not support punishing sanctuary cities. Congress will not pass a bill against sanctuary cities. 2 Based on the section "Court Rules Against Holding Immigrants In Jail," why did Huntington Beach, California, stop holding immigrants who are here illegally? because they want to be a sanctuary city because they want to protect immigrants who are here illegally because they do not want to know their immigration status because they are concerned about following the law 3 Read the paragraph from the introduction [paragraphs 1-3]. The term "sanctuary city" has become a rallying cry for conservative Republicans seeking tougher immigration laws. These cities are havens, Republicans claim, where those in the country illegally are protected from immigration authorities. Which of the following words from the paragraph are MOST closely related in meaning? rallying and protected sanctuary and havens illegally and immigration conservative and authorities 4 Which paragraph in the section "200 Cities Ignore Detention Requests" includes a word that could be replaced by the word "gain" or "increase?" Paragraph 12: Mark Krikorian is the executive director of the anti-illegal immigration Center for Immigration Cities. He acknowledged the difference between cities wanting to cultivate trust versus avoiding a lawsuit. But he said the effect was similar whether a city wanted to work with ICE or not.