ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and the city of South ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ are not “sanctuary cities,†officials said Wednesday, the day President Trump signed an executive order to withhold federal grants to communities that protect illegal immigrants.
Officially, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ became an “immigrant-welcoming city†in 2012 and reaffirmed that title in December, with Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and Councilwoman Regina Romero vowing to protect all of its citizens.
“ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ remains an immigrant-welcoming community with resources available to help visitors, permanent residents and those seeking to become naturalized U.S. citizens, and none of that is going to change,†said Rothschild last month.
A “sanctuary city†is a self designation that generally refers to jurisdictions that don’t cooperate with federal immigration officials.
City officials stress the city has never declared itself as a sanctuary city, nor does it have any policies or regulations that prohibit or limit the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
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The square-mile city of South ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is also not a sanctuary city, according to Mayor Idelfonso Green. However, several groups that track these designations online list the tiny jurisdiction as such.
South ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Police Chief Michael Ford says there might be some confusion from when the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue South ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in 2013, when officers detained an immigrant-rights activist with the Southside Worker Center.
The South ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ City Council agreed to a new immigration policy in a settlement with the ACLU after months of negotiations. Ford said no practices, including the immigration policy, conflict with federal immigration laws.
Contact reporter Joe Ferguson at jferguson@tucson.com or 573-4197. On Twitter: @JoeFerguson
Joe Ferguson
Reporter
