As Donald Trump gets ready to retake office and implement his mass deportation plans, the leaders of a number of sanctuary communities whose officials had publicly opposed his first term’s immigration policy are changing their stance.
Some municipal politicians have promised to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and have loosened their stance on how strongly they want their cities to be classified as sanctuary cities. Others, meanwhile, have reaffirmed their cities’ status as safe havens for undocumented immigrants and deny any cooperation with a Trump government that aims to deport millions of them.
The conflicting stances taken by politicians in some of the biggest and most Democratic communities in the United States highlight the nation’s changing immigration policies. Even though these cities’ leaders vocally and mostly opposed Trump’s immigration policy during his previous administration, some are now prepared to moderate their stance or work more closely with his administration on a primary goal.
Both Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner and Mayor Cherelle Parker of Philadelphia appear to have avoided some of the rhetoric that praised the city as a sanctuary and the confrontational stance that municipal officials previously used.
Krasner did not explicitly respond when asked if he still thought of Philadelphia as a sanctuary city.
In an interview with NBC News, he stated that the term “sanctuary city” might mean many different things, which could make the debate confused and possibly cause more harm than good. According to Krasner, Philadelphia is a city of love, fraternity, and sisterly affection where we value and assist our immigrant neighbors who work hard, follow the law, and contribute to our community.
Krasner went on to explain that he would respect the Constitution, obey the law, and do everything the government requires.
“Obviously, we will not interfere to the extent that ICE has the legal right to do things,” he said, adding that if ICE officers commit crimes, they will face consequences.
The term “sanctuary city” is not officially recognized. Instead, it refers to a city, county, or municipality that has passed legislation that, as part of a larger initiative to provide undocumented immigrants with a sense of security, either expressly or implicitly forbids or restricts local officials from collaborating with federal immigration authorities.
In an interview with Philadelphia’s NBC10 last week, Parker was asked if she thought of Philadelphia as a sanctuary city. “I think that our diversity is by far our greatest strength in America,” she said, skirting the topic.
Neighborhoods make up our city, and I agree that our variety is our greatest asset, she remarked.
Her spokesman also refused to openly respond when asked by NBC News if Parker designated Philadelphia as a sanctuary city and if local officials would work with ICE and the Trump administration if they proceeded with deporting undocumented immigrants.
In an email to NBC News, spokesperson Joe Grace stated that Mayor Parker made it clear after the November election that the Parker Administration is committed to implementing the agenda that Philadelphians elected her to carry out: making Philadelphia a cleaner, greener, safer city where everyone has access to economic opportunities.
The city’s 2016 executive order on ICE detainers is still in effect, Grace added. A detainer is a request that local officials hold an immigrant who is scheduled to be released from custody for an extra 48 hours so that ICE can take them into its custody. In 2016, Jim Kenney, who was Philadelphia’s mayor at the time, signed an executive order prohibiting the city from honoring certain ICE detainers.
Although that policy is still in effect, Parker and Krasner’s cautious approach differs significantly from the one taken by city officials throughout Trump’s first term. For instance, after a judge decided in favor of the city’s sanctuary rules in 2018, Kenney was captured on tape joyfully singing and dancing.
New York City s yearslong immigration pivot
A change in immigration policy has been taking place in New York City for a number of years. During his Friday meeting with Trump in Florida, Democratic Mayor Eric Adams expressed interest in collaborating with the incoming government on a number of subjects, including immigration.
Adams stated in 2023 that the city will be destroyed by the catastrophe caused by the recent spike in migrant arrivals, which New York has been unable to handle. Regarding the matter, Adams frequently chastised the Biden administration for not doing enough to assist New York and other cities. In December, he also visited with Tom Homanin, the newly appointed border czar.
Adams has expressed a wish to amend the city’s legislation to enable local authorities to work with federal immigration and law enforcement authorities to deport unauthorized immigrants with criminal histories, even if he still refers to New York as a sanctuary city. He stated last month that criminally accused migrants shouldn’t always be given due process.
His more comprehensive strategy stands in sharp contrast to that of his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, who served as mayor of New York City during Trump’s first term.
When Barack Obama was president in 2014, Democrat de Blasio assisted in passing legislation that made it extremely difficult for local law enforcement officers to cooperate with ICE agents who were attempting to deport unauthorized immigrants. To make it extra harder for ICE officials to deport unauthorized immigrants, Trump extended some of those regulations during his presidency.
The Adams administration has been working hard over the past few months to make sure city staff have the most accurate, up-to-date information on how to uphold our sanctuary city laws because the mayor has made it clear that New York City will always be a city of immigrants, according to Adams spokesperson Liz Garcia.
According to Garcia, we also keep working with immigrants in New York to make sure they are aware of their rights with federal immigration enforcement. Our government is working to support the city’s immigrant communities.
Other local Democratic leaders say they won t be bullied
On immigration, officials in other large sanctuary cities have continued to take a strong stance against the impending Trump government.
In the weeks after Trump’s victory in November, Democrat Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago, declared that the city would not compromise its sanctuary policies.
He said In November, the Washington Post announced that it will no longer cooperate with ICE’s deportations.
A plan that would have loosened restrictions on local officials’ ability to work with federal immigration authorities who are looking for people involved in specific violent and drug-related offenses was also rejected by the Chicago local Council last week.
The City of Chicago and Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Administration reiterate our commitment to the welcoming city ordinance, according to a recent press release that Johnson spokesperson Erin Connelly emailed in response to NBC News’ inquiries about the matter. This ordinance includes Chicago’s sanctuary policy.
Following Trump’s inauguration, ICE officers are preparing a significant enforcement effort in Chicago, according to NBC News.
During the second Trump administration, Democratic Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has been even more vocal about upholding his city’s sanctuary policies.
Johnston told Colorado news website Denveritein November that “we won’t change that because those are one of our core values.” We will not compromise those principles for anyone. We will not be coerced into altering them.
Johnston also said in the interview that Denver residents and police should unite to stop federal immigration officials from deporting unauthorized immigrants.
“It reminds me of the rose and the gun incident in Tiananmen Square,” he remarked.
Denver defines itself as a welcoming city, and we do have laws on the books, both city and state, that ensure that local police do not do the work of federal immigration enforcement, said Jordan Fuja, a spokesperson for Johnston, in response to NBC News’s questions about Denver’s sanctuary city status and the potential cooperation of city officials with ICE. That is the responsibility of the federal government, not ours.
We will not assist Donald Trump if he attempts to violate the law and misuse his position of authority, the statement stated, adding that the mayor is weighing several measures to improve safeguards for all of our citizens.
The statement said, “Denver is proud to be a welcoming city and we will do everything in our power to protect those who live here.”