The Sanctuary City Movement - Introduction
Channel: The Mainlander
Date: 2013-11-08

Currently thousands of people live in our cities without immigration papers or legal documentation. They build our cities and help make our communities strong, yet they live in fear of deportation and detention.

Deportations -- carried out by Federal officials in our cities -- have become increasingly frequent, emblemized by the recent deportation of undocumented construction workers in Vancouver. Most often deportations involve people who have been denied status; are refugees; are waiting on a verdict from Immigration Canada; or have arrived into the country irregularly. As Harper and the Conservative government continue to escalate their attack on working, poor and marginalized people, communities are fighting to give protection to undocumented residents. These movements have fought under the banner of global solidarity and migrant justice, asserting that "anyone here is from here." In Toronto, the Don't Ask Don't Tell Campaign was launched by No One Is Illegal in 2004. Since then a grassroots movement called the Solidarity City Network (a coalition of 11 organizations) has made significant gains. In February, 2013, Toronto city council declared the city a Sanctuary City, granting universal access to municipal services irrespective of immigration status.