Phoenix cannot become a "sanctuary city," its mayor Greg Stanton said Thursday, adding that he will not change police policy nor ask cops to disobey state law in determining the legal status of people who come into contact with officers.
Stanton's statement came in response to a citizen petition submitted to the Phoenix city council Wednesday, according to The Arizona Republic. That petition asked for an ordinance of measure that no longer "requires Phoenix police personnel to assist or participate in the enforcement of federal immigration laws; and declares Phoenix to be a sanctuary city."
Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that threatens to withhold federal funding from cities that hinder efforts to capture and deport undocumented immigrants, according to CNN. The Trump administration argues that those laws represent a harm to public safety.
While there is no definition for a "sanctuary city," the term is used to loosely refer to local government policies, whether written or informal, that don't allow jail officials and police officers to inquire about the immigration status of somebody in custody, or do not allow compliance with requests to aid the transfer of prisoners into the federal immigration system, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
The Republic reported that Stanton has spoken out against the president's immigration plans and added that the city would not participate in the 287(g) program to deputize local police to help federal immigration enforcement through agreements with agencies and jails.
The mayor added, though, that Phoenix police will continue to operate under the provisions of Arizona's Senate Bill 1070, which requires law enforcement officers to make a "reasonable attempt" to determine the immigration status of people stopped for other reasons if "reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien and is unlawfully present in the United States," according to The Republic.
The bill also allows law enforcement to transport illegal immigrants to federal custody, the newspaper noted.
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