Sanctuary Cities, Communities, and Organizations
A Nation at a Crossroads

The term "sanctuary city" gained a new level of national recognition during the 2016 United States presidential election, and immigration policies and debates have remained a top issue since the election of Donald Trump. The battle over immigration and deportation will be waged on many fronts in the coming years, but sanctuary cities - municipalities that resist the national governments efforts to enforce immigration laws - are likely to be on the front lines for the immediate future, and social workers and others in the helping professions have vital roles to play. In this book, Melvin Delgado offers a compelling case for the centrality of sanctuary cities' cause to the very mission and professional identity of social workers and others in the human services and mental health professions. The text also presents a historical perspective on the rise of the sanctuary movements of the 1970s and 2000s, thereby giving context to the current environment and immigration debate. Sanctuary Cities, Communities, and Organizations serves as a helpful resource for human service practitioners, academics, and the general public alike.

Melvin Delgado, PhD, is Professor in the School of Social Work at Boston University. Dr. Delgado has over 40 years of scholarship, research, and practice experience focused on urban population groups, with the Latino community as a specific focus. He has addressed a variety of social issues and needs, and published numerous articles and 30 books on urban community practice topics. Dr. Delgado is currently the editor of Oxford University Press's Social Justice and Youth Community Practice Series.