As of 2018, Berkeley has been considered the most progressive major town in California, with over 70 percent of voters registered to the Democratic party. In 1971, Berkeley became the first "sanctuary city" in the country. Sanctuary city is a non-legal term used for regions that discourage local law enforcement from reporting the immigration status of a person unless they committed a serious crime. As a sanctuary city, Berkeley protects undocumented residents against the U.S.’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement, furthering its reputation as a safe haven. However, the president-elect, Donald Trump, has called upon Congress to ban the ability for regions to gain sanctuary status. This strengthens the need for more cities, counties, and states to become sanctuaries before it becomes no longer possible. By doing this, the lives of the nearly eight million immigrants who call these sanctuary cities home will not be uprooted, and the economy they support will remain stable.
In 1971, the U.S.S. Coral Sea sat in the San Francisco Bay, waiting to depart to deliver soldiers to Vietnam in five days. A thousand of the soldiers on board started an anti-war petition called Stop Our Ship. This sparked a meeting in Berkeley, where an agreement was made to extend sanctuary to soldiers who disagreed with the war. Although only 35 of the 4,500 men on board chose not to make the journey, Stop Our Ship sparked a nationwide shift, inspiring governments to resist immigration laws at a local level.
The sanctuary movement has spread since Berkeley took the first step. 13 states have become sanctuary states, like California, North Dakota, and Illinois. However, some of these states, like North Dakota did not vote Democratic in the last election. This means that sanctuary status has become more about the importance of supporting immigrants, rather than taking a political stand. This is encouraging as states and counties, regardless of their political ideals, should consider welcoming community members without citizenship or documents.
To encourage change and persuade cities to become sanctuaries, it’s important to know the human side of the term “undocumented immigrants.” It’s a designation that describes people who are residents of the U.S. and don’t have documentation such as a green card or a valid Visa. What this term doesn’t include is the contributions these residents have made to the American economy. It’s a myth that they do not pay taxes and are residents who unfairly benefit from the taxes of citizens. Contrary to popular belief, undocumented immigrants do pay taxes. In 2022, U.S. residents without status paid $75.6 billion in taxes that went toward development and funding for publicly owned resources, such as schools.
Despite their contributions, the president-elect Donald Trump says the first thing he will do in office is begin a mass deportation of immigrants. This includes stripping federal resources to cities, like sanctuary cities, that refuse to take part in these mass deportations.
Right now we should be pushing to create as many sanctuary cities and states as possible so that we can ensure undocumented immigra