Phoenix council staff to review request for sanctuary status
The city of Phoenix says staffers will review a petition asking that it adopt so-called sanctuary status for immigrants.
The petition was filed by a citizen and submitted at a meeting on Wednesday . It asks that Phoenix police be barred from enforcement federal immigration laws.
Sanctuary cities are under fire by President Donald Trump, who says they should lose federal funding for refusing to cooperate with immigration officials.
The term “sanctuary city” is loosely defined but generally means municipalities don’t cooperate with the feds on immigration matters such as requests that local jails hold a suspect while authorities investigate their immigration status.
Proponents of sanctuary policies say they help foster a sense of trust between immigrants and their local police. Opponents say they pose a public safety threat.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.
