Brewer explains ‘sanctuary cities’ in Kennebec Journal article
The Kennebec Journal spoke with Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, for an article about recent false reports issued by the Maine Republican Party that Gardiner and Hallowell were seeking sanctuary city status. Elected officials in both cities have said in recent days that they want to be welcoming places for immigrants and refugees in the wake of an executive order that temporarily bans travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, according to the article. However, the officials stated they are not seeking “sanctuary city” status. A sanctuary city is a term without a specific legal definition, the article states. “It’s not entirely clear what it means,” said Brewer, who added a sanctuary city is one that has moved, either by formal policy or informal practice, to shelter immigrants from certain federal immigration policies. “As a candidate, Trump said he would crack down on sanctuary cities,” Brewer said. “His supporters see this as a simple demand to follow the law of the land. Opponents think it’s discriminatory and nativistic, and they are doing the humanitarian thing.” Several U.S. cities, including Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, have declared themselves to be sanctuary cities, but Brewer said no city in Maine has identified itself that way.