Sanctuary states are U.S. states whose laws or policies limit how much local and state officials help federal authorities enforce civil immigration law, usually to make undocumented immigrants feel safer using public services or reporting crimes. They do not “nullify” federal immigration law, but they narrow cooperation and information‑sharing in specific ways.

Basic idea

  • A sanctuary state generally restricts when police, jails, schools, or other agencies can ask about immigration status or share that information with federal immigration authorities.
  • These policies are meant to encourage immigrants to report crimes, use schools and hospitals, and work with local government without constant fear of deportation for civil immigration violations alone.

What policies usually look like

Common features in sanctuary state laws or directives include:

  • Limits on honoring federal immigration “detainer” requests unless there is a serious criminal record.
  • Rules saying local police should not arrest or hold someone just for a civil immigration issue.
  • Restrictions on federal immigration agents entering certain spaces like courthouses, schools, or hospitals to make civil immigration arrests.
  • Guidance not to ask about immigration status in routine local policing or public services unless absolutely necessary.

Examples of sanctuary states

Several states have adopted statewide sanctuary-type laws or directives that significantly limit cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement.

As of recent policy lists and summaries, examples include:

  • California, Oregon, Washington
  • New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut
  • Illinois, Colorado, Vermont, Rhode Island
  • The District of Columbia (not a state but often grouped with sanctuary jurisdictions)

A 2025 federal list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” under Executive Order 14287, for instance, names California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington as sanctuary jurisdictions at the state or district level. Exact classification can vary slightly between advocacy groups, researchers, and government lists.

Why they are controversial

Sanctuary states are a long‑running political flashpoint:

  • Supporters argue they improve public safety because victims and witnesses are more willing to talk to local police if they are not treated as extensions of federal immigration enforcement.
  • Critics argue they undermine immigration law and can allow people with criminal records to remain in communities if local agencies do not honor certain federal requests.

Public debate about sanctuary states often spikes around federal crackdowns or new executive orders targeting these jurisdictions, which has continued into the mid‑2020s.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.