After Penn State Refuses, Its College Town Becomes a Sanctuary for Immigrants

Adding more fuel to the debate over so-called "sanctuary cities," the State College Borough Council has passed a resolution vowing to protect immigrants, less than a week after Pennsylvania State University's president declared that college would not become a sanctuary campus.

 

The resolution passed Monday says the borough believes enforcing immigration law is a federal responsibility and the council "will not voluntarily assist in any efforts by the federal government to apprehend, detain or deport community members."

 

In the wake of Donald Trump's election, some cities and colleges campuses have doubled down on their sanctuary statuses, though considerable confusion exists about what exactly constitutes a sanctuary jurisdiction.

 

The term is often used to describe jurisdictions that will not honor federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers, which are issued when ICE wants to detain someone being held by another agency.