Sanctuary Cities Protect American Communities
Why I testified in favor of Rockville, Maryland’s Fostering Community Trust Ordinance
By John C. Yang
Who are undocumented immigrants?
Today, there are around 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. This number has not changed significantly since 2009. Around two-thirds of undocumented immigrants have lived in this country for more than ten years. There is no sudden surge of undocumented immigrants that has imperiled law and order. Rather, most undocumented immigrants have been here for a long time, and are already part of our society. They are our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, and our caregivers. They should be treated with dignity and respect.
Media portrayals might suggest that undocumented immigration is solely a Latino issue. The reality is that nationwide, there are an estimated 1.6 million undocumented Asian immigrants. In Maryland, there are approximately 37,000 undocumented Asian immigrants, making up close to 16% of Maryland’s undocumented population. These undocumented Asian immigrants are from almost every Asian country, including significant numbers from China, India, and the Philippines.
A pathway to citizenship
In fact, I myself was at one point an undocumented immigrant. But this country gave me a path to citizenship. I can attest to the fact that there is no one face for who is an undocumented immigrant. Undocumented immigrants are our friends and our family, and are as much a part of our communities and the very fabric of America as the rest of our neighbors.
We need Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes and contribute to our communities in uncounted ways. But until Congress finds a way to make citizenship a reality for them, we must rely on our state and local governments, like the City of Rockville, to create and implement policies that treat our undocumented community members with dignity and provide for their safety.
Keeping immigration out of law enforcement
The Community Trust Ordinance would formalize Rockville police’s longstanding practice to not inquire about immigration status or aid in immigration enforcement efforts. Enacting such an ordinance is far from radical. As many as 400 jurisdictions — including in states like Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, and Texas — have enacted policies outlining boundaries in cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These jurisdictions have done so with the fundamental understanding that their communities will be safer if their local law enforcement resources are not diverted to immigration concerns. Resources should go towards programs that will build up communities, not tear them down.
The other thing our organization has seen first-hand is the fear that is now gripping the immigrant and minority communities. This fear is felt even by lawful residents — including lawful permanent residents and citizens— who have come to fear that they will be racially profiled and questioned about their immigration status, that they will be subjected to interrogation or detention based on where they are from and how they look, and that should now expect generally to be under greater scrutiny by the law.
By passing the Community Trust ordinance, the city of Rockville can send a strong signal to our communities that law enforcement should not be feared, but trusted. This will ensure that residents — citizens, permanents residents, visa holders, and yes, even undocumented immigrants — feel safe reporting crime and serving as witnesses. All communities are safer when there is trust and cooperation with local law enforcement and its residents. This ordinance helps ensure that such trust is not broken.
In this current environment when immigrants are under attack from many directions, we are proud to stand in support of our local communities that adopt sensible policies which keep all in our communities safe. We hope Rockville will do the same.
