By Madison Lambert and Nicole Acevedo -
NBC News
Officials in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recently approved measures to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, a practice that has been in place since 2019 but had not been codified.
The all-Democratic Lancaster City Council unanimously passed an ordinance last month that prevents local police and any city officials from asking about a person's immigration status unless required by state law or federal or court order, or reasonably necessary in the course of an investigation into a crime.
It also prohibits them from providing any information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that could lead to civil or non-criminal immigration enforcement actions.
These sanctuary policies have been at the center of the national debate over immigration and border security ahead of the November 2024 presidential election.
CASA State Director Daniel Alvalle speaks in Lancaster in February 2024.CASA Pennsylvania
But the debate didn't stop city leaders from taking steps they say ensure Lancaster remains a city where immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees can feel comfortable seeking public services and reporting crimes committed against them, according to Jaime Arroyo, vice president of the council.
“
This ordinance will not endanger anyone's safety
.”
The city police will continue to cooperate with ICE if required at the state or federal level, but will not deviate from their mission to request documents [from an immigrant],” Arroyo told NBC affiliate WGAL-TV in Lancaster.
Immigrant rights advocates who spoke out in support of the Trust Act said it allows residents, regardless of their immigration status, to feel like they can “participate more fully in society without fear” and feel safe. when reporting crimes to the police, using health and social services for their families or enrolling their children in school.
CASA, one of the state's most prominent immigrant advocacy groups, has defended the law over the past year, organizing press conferences and rallies and working with city officials.
Throughout the campaign, immigrant residents expressed concerns about having contact with police, fearful that the interactions could result in their families being separated by ICE.
The Lancaster community “has been overwhelmingly positive” about the adoption of the Trust Act on February 27, stated Daniel Alvalle, state director of CASA.
“All people, regardless of their [immigration] status, deserve safety, protection and refuge,” he said.
“They should be encouraged to report crimes, whether towards property or themselves without fear of becoming a target or questioned about their immigration status.”
Councilwoman Janet Diaz told NBC News that she understands that people have concerns about the bill and that she has received emails asking for it to be repealed.
But Ella Diaz said she voted in favor to protect the rights of noncitizens and make sure they feel comfortable coming forward if they suffer harm from workplace injuries, sexual assault or domestic violence.
40
% of Lancaster's population identifies as Hispanic
, and about 11% do not speak English well.
Approximately 13% of the city's total population is foreign-born.
96% of the Lancaster School District student population claims to speak Spanish.
[A man who said he belonged to the terrorist group Hezbollah was detained on the border with Mexico]
But the ordinance has been criticized by Republican state senators and county officials.
ICE declared itself “disappointed.”
Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons lashed out at the ordinance, calling it “beyond concerning,” while urging the city council to repeal it.
"When you order your police not to cooperate in enforcing laws you don't like, that doesn't build 'trust.'
It does the opposite,” Parsons told NBC News in a statement.
Cammilla Wamsley, director of ICE's Philadelphia Enforcement and Removal Operations field office, stated that "ICE is disappointed with the Lancaster City Council's decision," but will continue to enforce immigration law in Lancaster and throughout the state.
“ICE law enforcement operations are primarily focused on threats to public safety and are most effective when there is strong communication and cooperation with local law enforcement partners,” Wamsley explained.
[Immigrant with his baby in his arms receives an electric shock after a confrontation with agents in a New York shelter]
Republican state senators Scott Martin, Ryan Aument and Chris Gebhard said in a joint statement that
the mayor's decision "is atrocious
," because it comes five days after it was revealed that the suspect in the murder of a 22-year-old nursing student years in Athens, Georgia, is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela.
Data from police departments in major cities across the country show there is no evidence of an immigrant-driven crime wave in the United States.
The Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice has stated that “recent research suggests that those who immigrate (legally or illegally) are no more likely, and may even be less likely, to commit crimes in the United States.”
Despite this, immigration is increasingly becoming a flashpoint in cities across the country and reigniting debate over so-called “sanctuary” city policies.
[A soccer program offers migrant children in New York “a chance to belong”]
In cities like New York, Chicago and Denver, tensions over these types of practices have been increasing since 2022, when the governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, who seeks stricter security on the southern border, began sending bus tens of thousands of immigrants to sanctuary cities.
The practice has left cities struggling to meet migrants' housing and social service needs.
Lancaster officials have stated that
they do not consider their city to be "sanctuary," but rather "welcoming
," meaning they are part of the Welcoming America network.
The network is led by an Atlanta-based nonpartisan organization that promotes policies and programs committed to the inclusion of immigrants in governments, businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Lancaster was certified as a “welcoming” city in 2019 and has maintained the designation since then.
Fidel Gil Cedeño, 68, a longtime Lancaster resident and community leader, left his native Dominican Republic in 1983 and settled in Lancaster.
In his advocacy work with CASA, Cedeño has “heard so many testimonies” and has witnessed many cases in which residents who were immigrants felt they could not ask for help or access necessary resources due to their immigration status.
“I understand your concern about asking for help
,” he told NBC News.