Sanctuary cities provide a safe place for immigrants to stay, a sanctuary city is a community with laws that protect undocumented immigrants. The policies prevent local law enforcement from reporting any immigration status to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. However, this doesn’t mean it limits all the cooperation between ICE.
Sanctuary cities are the most likely to have more crimes reported by immigrants reporting a crime without fear of being deported. Having these policies in place allows many immigrant families to be comfortable in their communities.
Recently Donald Trump has wanted to get rid of sanctuary cities, this would mean many undocumented immigrants might not feel safe in sanctuary cities.
Freshman, Roselyn Alas, shares her opinion on sanctuary cities.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to take away sanctuary cities because most people need them to be protected so that they get to stay in this country,” Alas said.
Alas shared how she doesn’t think wanting to get rid of sanctuary cities will be a good idea. Taking sanctuary cities away would increase the possibility of immigrants being deported and separated from their families and friends.
Over the years, it has become a safe place for immigrants to go to sanctuary cities, as they find it valuable to have police officers who would listen to them without feeling intimidated by them.
Rafael Ramos, a U.S. history teacher, highlights the importance of sanctuary cities.
“Protecting communities, keeping communities together, keeping families together. You know, these are people that are providing their labor, they’re paying taxes, so financially, economically, it’s protecting, you know, the vitality of those communities,” Ramos said.
He speaks up on how sanctuary cities allow families and communities to stay together and protected. Many families feel safer and protected together, as they seek each other when times are tough.
Undocumented immigrants work low income jobs to be able to help provide housing, food and clothes for their families. In their home countries they don’t have the same opportunities, it’s harder to make ends meet. In the United States their children can seek better education and safety.
“Immigrants are people just like the rest of us…they’re hard working, they’re contributing…they want to be here. They want to…have the same opportunities as everybody else,” Ramos said.
Immigrants come to the United States of America to seek a better life and better opportunities; by going to live in communities where they know they will be safe and don’t need to worry about anything bad happening to them.
They work hard to pay their bills and taxes. Immigrants come here, so their children can have a better possibility of being successful in life. In their home country the opportunities are lower, many cities may have limited resources and won’t be able to provide a stable income for their families.
Ramos leaves us with a question to reflect on.
“I think that the question that people need to ask themselves is, do they value all humans? Do they value all human life? Do they value all children, or do they only value some children and not other children?,” Ramos said.
