LIST OF USA SANCTUARY CITIES

List of US Sanctuary Cities*

*Note: Not all listings have been independently confirmed by OJJPAC. If you believe a city should not be listed, please send an email, and OJJPAC will make note of the dispute and attempt to verify.

Dates represent when a city was added to the list, not when it became or allegedly became a sanctuary city. Other notations may indicate the source of information. Cities without a date were added prior to May, 2007. Some sanctuary cities may not have yet been identified and therefore not listed here. You are encouraged to perform additional research regarding the status of your own city.

Last updated: 8-14-07

State/City
Alabama

Note: False information appears to have been submitted to OJJPAC.org regarding the listing of Alabaster, AL.

As a result Alabaster, AL is being removed from the sanctuary city list.

Alaska

Anchorage (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service) Fairbanks (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service) [Mayor of Fairbanks disputes the listing. However, OJJPAC has verified the listing of Fairbanks, Alaska, as having a sanctuary policy by the Congressional Research Service in an 2005 report. OJJPAC has requested that the city administration forward its policy demonstrating that it is not a sanctuary city--but none has been forwarded as of 8-9-07.]

Arizona

Chandler, AZ (Added 5/30/07, Congressional Research Service Report, 2006 )
Phoenix, AZ

California

Bell Gardens, CA City of Industry, CA City of Commerce, CA Cypress, CA Davis CA Diamond Bar, CA (6/26/07 Disputed by city. Currently being researched to verify.) Downey, CA Fresno, CA (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service) Lakewood, CA Los Angeles, CA (Congressional Research Service) Long Beach, CA Lynwood, CA Maywood, CA Montebello, CA National City, CA Norwalk, CA Paramount, CA Pico Rivera, CA So. Gate, CA San Bernardino, Ca. (Added 6/7/07, reader submitted) San Diego, CA (Congressional Research Service) Santa Cruz, CA (Added 5/30/07, documented by KSBW news) San Francisco, CA (Congressional Research Service) San Jose, CA (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service) Sonoma County, CA (Congressional Research Service) Vernon, CA Watsonville, CA (Added 5/30/07, documented by KSBW news) Wilmington, CA

Colorado
Aurora, CO Commerce City, CO Denver, CO (Congressional
Research Service) Durango, CO (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service) Federal Heights, CO Fort Collins CO Lafayette, CO (Added 6/3/07, documented by reader) Thornton, CO Westminster, CO Connecticut

New Haven, CT (Added 6/4/07. TV News 8: City council votes 25-1 to issue ID cards to illegals)
Springfield CT (Disputed)

Florida
DeLeon Springs, FL
Deltona, Fl
Miami, FL Sanford, Fl (7-23-07. Listing disputed by City of Sanford, under review.)

Georgia
Dalton, GA (Added 5/30/07. 6/18/07 Listing disputed as inaccurate by the City of Dalton, GA. Currently being researched. )

Illinois
Chicago, IL (Congressional Research Service) Cicero, IL (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service) Evanston, IL (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service)

Massachusetts
Cambridge, Mass. (Source: Boston Globe. First passed resolution in 1985) Chelsea, Mass. (Added: 8-14-07 Source: Chelsea government website with text of sanctuary policy.) Orleans, Mass. (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service)

Maine
Portland (Added 5/31/07 Note: Maine resident reported that Portland city council passed sanctuary legislation) State of Maine (Added 5/31/07 Note: Maine resident reported that the governor signed a sanctuary executive order)

Maryland
Baltimore, MD (Congressional Research Service) Gaithersburg, MD Takoma Park, MD (Reported that City ordinance passed some 20 years ago; Congressional Research Service)

Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service)
Detroit, MI (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service)

Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN (Congressional Research Service) St. Paul, MN Worthington, MN (Added 5-30-07 Note: This is where a Swift plant was raided by ICE in December, 2006)

Nevada
Reno (Added 5-31-07)

New Jersey
Bridgeton, NJ (Added 6-3-07) [7-27-07 Disputed by a reputed farm worker advocate, see note below.]
Camden, NJ Fort Lee, NJ Hightstown, NJ (Added 5-30-07) Jersey City, NJ Newark, NJ (Added 6-3-07) North Bergen, NJ Trenton, NJ Union City, NJ West New York, NJ

New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service; 8-14-07 KOB-TV 4 Eyewitness News report)
Rio Ariba County, NM (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service)
Santa Fe, NM (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service)

New York
Bay Shore, NY Brentwood, NY Central Islip, NY Farmingville, NY New York City, NY Peekskill, NY [Disputed, being researched] Riverhead, NY Shirly/Mastic, NY Spring Valley Village, NY (Added 7-25-07) Uniondale, NY Westbury, NY

North Carolina
Charlotte, NC Durham, NC (6/13/07 Congressional Research Service) Raleigh Winston-Salem Ohio
Columbus, OH (7/5/07 Source: 5/10/07 Columbus Dispatch article stating illegal aliens in misdemeanor cases are not reported to ICE) Painesville, OH (7-19-07 Source: 7-18-07 Cleveland Scene article) [8-9-07 Disputed by Painesville's City Manager, under review.]

Oklahoma
Oklahoma City (de facto)
Tulsa (6-3-07 Note: Tulsa city council is discussing changing its sanctuary policy.)

Oregon
State of Oregon * (8-9-07 Congressional Research Service) *(See note below)
Ashland, OR (8-9-07 Congressional Research Service) Gaston, OR (8-9-07 Congressional Research Service) Marion County, OR (8-9-07 Congressional Research Service) Portland, OR

Texas
Austin, TX (Congressional Research Service) Baytown, TX (6-13-07 Local reader observation) Brownsville, TX Channelview, TX (6-13-07 Local reader observation) Denton, TX Dallas, TX El Cenizo, TX (6-13-07 Congressional Research Service) Ft.Worth, TX Houston, TX (Congressional Research Service) Katy, TX (Congressional Research Service) Laredo, TX Mcallen, TX Port Arthur, TX (6-13-07 Reader/resident observation) San Antonio, TX [Note: The Sanctuary status of San Antonio is disputed, being researched.]
Utah
Provo, UT
Salt Lake City, UT

Virginia
Fairfax County, VA
Virginia Beach, VA (Added 6/3/07)

Washington
Seattle, WA (Added 5/30/07; Congressional Research Service)

Wisconsin
Madison, WI (Congressional Research Service)

Wyoming
Jackson Hole, WY

Washington, D.C.
Watch List Cities (Cities considering sanctuary policies)

Note: This is a new list started 8-14-07

Worcester, MASS (Source: 8-14-07 Worcester Telegram)
Sanctuary Cities, USA: Additional Notes

State of Oregon
According to a CRS report (October, 2005), Oregon passed a law in 1987 that prohibits local and state law enforcement from using state resources for locating and capturing illegal aliens. Law enforcement was permitted [but not required] to "exchange information" with federal immigration agents if an illegal alien was arrested for a crime.

Bridgeton, NJ 7-27-07 Disputed by a reputed farm worker advocate who sent me this email:
"I just wanted to point out an inaccuracy on your website's listing of sanctuary cities. You have Bridgeton, NJ listed as a sanctuary city, and indeed it is most definitely not. I work with CATA - The Farmworkers' Support committee (www.cata-farmworkers.org) and we have an organized group of membership in this town. One of our goals is working towards making Bridgeton an sanctuary city, but the local government is quite unfriendly towards the immigrant population, and the mayor has even hinted at wanting to implement a Hazleton type of ordinance (luckily, given yesterday's legal decision, that won't be happening)."

Columbus, OH
The Columbus Dispatch [Ohio] wrote:
"The police didn't contact immigration authorities concerning those who were determined to be undocumented, Booth said. Authorities say that's typical when it comes to misdemeanor charges." [Columbus, Ohio]

Painesville, OH
Cleveland Scene (7-18-07) quotes the Painesville Police Chief Gary Smith:
***He [Police Chief Gary Smith] has no qualms about laying out his indifference in plain English: "We don't care what your [immigration] status is." ***

Oklahoma City, OK
One reader wrote about Oklahoma City:
Oklahoma City is a sanctuary city de facto. Police officers have been told not to stop any Hispanic for minor traffic violations, because they have a good chance of being illegal and it is a waste of time. The City has not been enforcing City Code if the recipient of the code violation doesn't speak English. And is not attempting to enforce the single-family dwelling laws.