Justice
Why 'Sanctuary Cities' Make Sense
A federal court rules that one type of collaboration between immigration authorities and local law enforcement is unlawful.
There’s no city in the U.S. that can prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement from deporting an undocumented immigrant. They can, however, keep local policing and federal immigration enforcement separate by asking local police to decline “detainers”—non-binding requests from ICE asking for extended detention of inmates they suspect are deportable. That’s what the so-called sanctuary cities do. Around 39 U.S. cities—including Chicago, New York, Baltimore, and San Francisco—have such rules on the books.
But isn’t it perfectly reasonable to hold criminals until ICE agents can come by, arrest them, and deport them? Turns out it’s not.