sanctuary city

[sangk-choo-er-ee sit-ee]

noun

1. a city in which the local government and police protect undocumented immigrants and refugees from deportation by federal authorities.

   sanctuary cities where law enforcement cannot question crime suspects about their immigration status.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanctuary city¹

First recorded in 1865–70 in the sense “place of immunity from arrest”; the current sense, in 1980–85; possibly related to “Cities of Refuge” named in the Bible in the books of Joshua, Deuteronomy, and Numbers

Example Sentences

He has pledged to make New York the “strongest sanctuary city” in the U.S. by ending the city’s cooperation with ICE and promising to hire 200 lawyers to rebuff presidential “policy abuses” in court.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Charlotte is not a sanctuary city - cities that have policies in place to limit the assistance given to federal immigration authorities - but it is a "certified welcoming city".

Read more on BBC

“National issues like sanctuary city resolutions, or resolutions supporting Israel or Palestinians — it’s just not our thing,” he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Even though we’re a sanctuary city, we’re concerned that these prextexual stops could be leveraged” by federal immigration authorities, she said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Washington, D.C., has been a sanctuary city since 2020, where law enforcement cooperation with immigration officials was broadly prohibited.

Read more on Salon