Sanctuary city is a name given to a city in the United States that follows particular procedures in order to host illegal immigrants. The procedures can be in terms of law or by action. Also known as the safe cities, sanctuary cities confines its cooperation with federal immigration administration agents so as to protect the immigrants from deportation, as they turn over those immigrants who in one way or the other have committed severe crimes. The term is commonly used for those cities that do not authorize municipal funds or resources to be functional with regards to enforcement of federal immigration laws. In these cities, the police or the municipal employees are not permitted to do inquiry about someone’s immigration status.
Discuss the pros of sanctuary cities using the utilitarian and the deontological (rights, duties, fairness, justice) perspectives.
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This paper discusses the pros and cons of sanctuary cities using the utilitarian and the deontological perspectives.
Utilitarianism recommends that we ought to always do what will have the best consequences for all those affected by our actions. Utilitarianism rotates around the conception that ‘the end justifies the means.’ It also proposes that the most ethical thing to do is to take the advantage of joy for the good of the society. Utilitarianism is generally based on consequentiality.
Deontology proposes that both the actions and outcomes must be ethical. It advocates that the morality of action is of greater weight, and that the result of an immoral action does not make its outcome the same. For instance, during the process of giving birth where the mother and the baby are at equal risk, the doctors know that it is better to save at least one of them, yet saving both of them would be the best option.
Sanctuary cities are safer since they encourage virtuous relationships between immigrants and law enforcement. Research has shown that a high percentage of undocumented immigrants are less likely to report crimes or voluntarily give out information concerning crimes fearing that the police officers would get to know about their immigration status, so as much as there could be issues of criminal activities the police would not know, and so, they peacefully co-exist with the law enforcement officers.
Sanctuary rules are authorized and protected by the Tenth Amendment. The Tenth Amendment of the US Constitution provides for the separation of federal and state powers. Immigrant Legal Resource Center, states that the Amendment prevents the federal government from forcing the state or local governments to use their resources in order to implement a federal regulatory program, such as immigration, therefore, Congress cannot coerce state or local governments to gather immigration status information in order to share it with the federal government. This protection by the Tenth Amendment makes the immigrants feel their rights are granted and justice given to them.
Sanctuary cities are necessary to protect undocumented immigrants against federal immigration laws. In the past, it was argued that the federal immigration deportation policies are unfair since they target the undocumented immigrants comprehensively, deport those that have lived in the United States since birth, deport people who have not committed any crimes, cause individuals to live in anxiety of deportation, and separate families. For example, the US law advocates that anyone born in the US automatically becomes a US citizen. So that means only the parent would be deported leaving the child orphaned. That would be so inconsiderate, right? So, sanctuary cities fight to protect the immigrants against such forms of federal immigration laws.
Discuss the cons of sanctuary cities using the utilitarian and the deontological (rights, duties, fairness, justice) perspectives
Sanctuary cities harbor criminals, creating a dangerous environment for US citizens. The challenge that comes with these sanctuary cities is that criminals from all over the world know where they are, and they flock them in big numbers. For example, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, an undocumented immigrant, who had had seven criminal convictions in the United States had shot Kathryn Steinle, a 32-year-old woman who was out for an evening walk with her father, in the year 2015. Sanchez had been deported five times with multiple felonies, yet the city of San Francisco declined to detain him for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officials (ICE) and released him into the community. These criminal immigrants are aware that if they are arrested, then they will have to contend with ICE because the law protects them.
Sanctuary rules flout federal laws to which state and local governments are bound. U.S. Code § 1373 states that “a Federal, State, or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual." By not informing the government about the residents’ background information, the sanctuary cities are violating the federal laws.
Sanctuary policies inhibit the state police officers from doing their jobs. Sanctuary rules prevent police officers from questioning, investigating, or arresting people who break federal immigration laws. Several crimes could not be experienced if local law enforcement in sanctuary cities could have the power to arrest undocumented immigrants for their crimes, such as the illegal admittance into the country. During his campaign period, the US President, Donald Trump promised to deport anyone who lives in the US illegally.
How would I decide, why?
This is my take, as much as sanctuary cities are good, since they give homage to the immigrants, they should be abolished. Criminal activities are a dangerous part of the state. Security is an obligation of the state. The state must hide the citizens from any harm that may befall them with regards to security, and so since high rates of crimes are recorded among those that live in sanctuary cities, they should not be there. Why should these people migrate from their countries in the first place? Everyone should live in their nations and only migrate legally, if they have to.
