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U.S. NEWS Monday 4 noveMber 2019
Sanctuary city initiative divides liberal Tucson, Arizona

By JONATHAN J. COOPER extremely narrow interpre-
Associated Press tation of their obligations to
Tucson is widely credited as enforce immigration laws.
the birthplace of the 1980s A handful of Republican
Sanctuary Movement, an state lawmakers have said
effort by churches to help they'll pursue legislation to
refugees from Central punish Tucson.
America and shield them Peard said he's not worried
from deportation. about the threats. If law-
Now, as President Don- makers want to revisit the
ald Trump's immigration bitter fights that surround-
policies put renewed fo- ed SB1070 nine years ago,
cus on the treatment of they should have a debate
people who come to the about repealing that law,
United States without au- he said.
thorization, the progres- "I believe there's enough
sive southern Arizona city is Republicans, a newer gen-
again grappling with what eration of Republicans in
it means to be a city wel- the statehouse who do not
coming of immigrants. want to revisit 2010," Peard
Voters are deciding wheth- said. "If the legislature is
er to designate Tucson as hellbent on revisiting 2010,
Arizona's only sanctuary then let's revisit 2010. That's
city, a direct challenge This photo taken Oct. 14, 2019, shows City of Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, center, listening not going to come out too
to Trump and to an anti- to the new Tucson Fire Chief, Charles W. Ryan, III, give remarks during a badge pinning ceremony well in the court of public
in Tucson, Ariz.
illegal immigration law that Associated Press opinion for them."q
put a global spotlight on
the state nearly a decade law enforcement on mat- officers interact with immi-
ago. The vote Tuesday is ters that have nothing to grants, people suspected
dividing progressives in a do with immigration. of being in the country ille-
city where many are eager The Tucson City Council in gally, immigration authori-
to send Trump a message, 2012 designated it an "im- ties and other federal law
but where some worry they migrant welcoming city," enforcement officers. It
will merely draw the ire of expressing support but would declare that "it is the
the president and his allies stopping short of calling it policy of the city that the
in the state Legislature. a sanctuary city. Tucson city be a sanctuary and
The initiative, known as Police Department poli- safe refuge for all persons."
Proposition 205, was started cies already limit when and The measure would put
by a group of activists look- where officers can ask new restrictions on when
ing to give a voice to the about immigration status. and where a person can
city's sizeable Latino com- "We are all very much op- be asked about their immi-
munities. posed to most — or prob- gration status and require
"We can make sure that ably all — of the policies of officers to first tell people
our city is more equitable," the Trump administration that they have a right not
said Zaira Livier, executive and have done everything to answer questions about
director of People's De- we can in our power le- whether they're in the
fense Initiative. "That our gally to make it possible to country legally. It would
city sends the message protect all immigrants who limit the factors officers
to our own residents that come to our community," can consider in developing
they're safe, that they're Mayor Jonathan Rothschild "reasonable suspicion" that
valued, that they're not in- said of the seven-member a person is in the country il-
dispensable to us, that we city council. legally, the threshold to trig-
are willing to fight for them." The initiative takes aim at ger a check of immigration
Tucson's entire city council, SB1070, the 2010 immigra- status under SB1070.
all Democrats, is opposed, tion law that prohibits sanc- It also would prohibit the city
citing concerns about un- tuary cities in Arizona and from working with federal
intended consequences requires police, when en- law enforcement agen-
and the potential for losing forcing other laws, to verify cies unless those agencies
millions of dollars in state the immigration status of agree in writing to forego
and federal funding. anyone suspected of be- their right to conduct traf-
They fear retaliation from ing in the country illegally. It fic stops in city limits. Billy
the Trump administration, prompted widespread pro- Peard, a lawyer who co-
which has fought aggres- tests and a lawsuit by then- wrote the initiative, said it's
sively against sanctuary cit- President Barack Obama's designed to expand what's
ies and tried to restrict their Department of Justice. allowed under SB1070 and
access to federal grants Courts threw out much of other Arizona laws. He ac-
and would jeopardize the the law but upheld the re- knowledged that if it passes
funding Tucson gets from quirement for officers to it's almost certain to end up
the state. check immigration papers. in court. He hopes judges
They also worry that it Proposition 205 is a wide- will rule that Tucson — and
would tie the city's hands ranging effort to restrict the any other cities that want
in cooperating with federal ways that Tucson police to follow suit — can take an