ABSTRACT
Globally, cities and local governments are increasingly called to respond to the needs of urban immigrant populations. This chapter explores one of these responses: the implementation of sanctuary policies. Cities implement sanctuary policies to support their residents who live without status, without documentation, or who experience precarious immigrant status. Through these policies local governments aim to achieve multiple goals, including protecting their residents from immigration enforcement activities, ensuring their access to municipal services, and generating more participation and sense of belonging for all city residents. While these local interventions are increasingly popular, the meanings and realities associated with local sanctuary vary from context to context. This chapter introduces the scholarly debates around the definition of sanctuary cities, discusses the global and local forces that contribute to their emergence, and finally explores the main approaches to the study of these city interventions.
