Strong reaction from both sides as the city of Phoenix faces a tough decision — whether or not to become a sanctuary city.
The city plans to vote on the issue at their regular meeting in two weeks, after a resident presented them with a petition on Wednesday night.
Emotions are heated among those who feel that would be a violation of federal law, and the city should not be harboring those who have committed crimes. They are also worried about the cost of this decision.
President Trump has threatened to pull federal funding from cities who make any policies to become a sanctuary city. Last week, Mr. Trump signed an executive order directing staff to look into what sources of federal funding could be pulled from those cities.
Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio said he was strongly against the move to become a sanctuary city.
"We should be enforcing the laws that are on the books and not pick and choose those laws we want to enforce. We should also keep in mind this will cost the city of Phoenix millions of dollars," DiCiccio said.
By definition a sanctuary city is one that decides to go against federal law. Many cities have declared themselves as sanctuary cities in the last few weeks.
Those supporting the proposal say they have no worry about the threat of losing federal funding. The Supreme Court had ruled that it was unconstitutional for the federal government to withhold federal funds from states who refused to obey a federal statute.
Some legal experts said grants tied to law enforcement could be cut, and that could be a devastating blow to already under-funded and short-staffed police departments. President Trump has also pledged to work for cops, not against them so whether or not his administration would take money away from law enforcement is up in the air.
Legal experts said the federal government would be slammed with a flurry of lawsuits from cities if federal funding was pulled.
Arizona already has churches that have decided to open their doors to provide a safe haven, or sanctuary to illegal immigrants.
Pastor James Pennington at the First Congregational United Church of Christ called it a large-scale humanitarian crisis, and said their church had helped many immigrant families with legal issues, filing paperwork and other humanitarian issues.
Most of the people they've helped are those afraid of being separated from families. The church is is adamant about making sure the people they help have a clean record.
Pennington said they may consider minor misdemeanor crimes on a case by case basis, but would check backgrounds to make sure those who are given sanctuary have no warrants out for their arrest or any felonies on file.
Pennington also said they would cooperate with police agencies if the need arose.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton released this statement in regards to the issue today:
"Yesterday, a Republican political operative submitted a petition to the City Council asking us to violate state law - a position that he himself refuses to say he supports.
There are some who are angry that I'm standing up to President Trump. But I am committed to doing what's right and keeping our city safe. As long as I am mayor, Phoenix will not participate in the 287(g) program or enter into any other agreements with the Trump Administration that aim to implement his mass deportation plans - period. Doing so would shatter the trust between our officers and our community, making everybody less safe.
The issue of whether any Arizona city can be a so-called 'sanctuary city' is already settled by state law. After a lengthy court battle, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld portions of S.B. 1070 that apply to all Arizona cities - including Phoenix - nearly five years ago. Last fall, the state attorney general reached a settlement with civil rights groups, including the ACLU, on how S.B. 1070 is enforced, and Phoenix complies with those terms. We must respect the Supreme Court's unanimous decision and the rule of law - and I will not ask Phoenix police officers to knowingly violate the law.
Phoenix's police department - and our officers - are exceptional. Over many years through community policing, they have earned the trust of the people they serve and have kept us safe, even when they have been asked to do more with less. It is deeply disappointing that one of the union presidents suggested that Phoenix adopt the same divisive tactics once employed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Voters of conservative Maricopa County overwhelmingly rejected those tactics just a few months ago, and I will continue to reject them in Phoenix."