A city in Pennsylvania embraces immigrants as tensions over 'sanctuary' policies rise across the country
The Lancaster city council in Pennsylvania codified existing policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities at a time when as such practices are under nationwide scrutiny.
Officials in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recently codified into law city policies that have been in effect since 2019 limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The all-Democrat Lancaster City Council unanimously passed an ordinance last month preventing local police and any city official from inquiring about a person’s immigration status unless it's required by state or federal law or by court order, or reasonably necessary in the course of a criminal investigation. It also prohibits them from providing any information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that could result in civil or noncriminal immigration enforcement actions.
Such “sanctuary” policies have been at the center of the national debate over immigration and border security ahead of the 2024 presidential election in November.
But the debate didn't stop city leaders from taking measures they say ensures that Lancaster remains a welcoming city where immigrants, asylum-seekers and refugees can feel comfortable seeking city services and reporting crimes, according to Jaime Arroyo, the council's vice president.
“This ordinance wouldn’t jeopardize anyone’s safety. City police will still cooperate with ICE if it’s mandated on a state or federal level but won’t go out of their way to ask for documentation,” Arroyo told NBC-affiliate WGAL-TV in Lancaster.
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