"They Are Rioting in Sanctuary Cities!"

While the concept of cities and places of refuge, or sanctuary cities, is as ancient as history itself, the past few years has given rapid rise to a new, related phenomenon in the U.S.: the anti-sanctuary city movement. As of 2018, over 500 U.S. municipalities and several states have adopted anti-sanctuary city policies. How do we explain the rapid rise of this movement? This book examines the social, political, and racial underpinnings of this radical new movement, and what members of targeted communities can do to counteract its corrosive effects. This book accomplishes five goals:Conceptually and descriptively gives form to the anti-sanctuary movement.Identifies trends and reasons for successes and failures of this movement.Draws lessons for social justice advocates in countering this movement.Presents a series of cities illustrating how and why this movement has unfolded in certain geographical areas.Presents recommendations for anticipating the evolution of this movement and countering its destructive impacts in communities where the anti-sanctuary is taking root.

In "They Are Rioting in Sanctuary Cities!" Countering the Emerging Anti-Sanctuary Movement, author Melvin Delgado provides an extensive history of sanctuary cities and the current anti-sanctuary movement. Through his discussion on sanctuary cities, Delgado helps readers recognize why understanding human plights and needs is necessary, and the role each of us play in ensuring a humanistic society. , Though immigration has been debated and contested since the Colonial era, and a high volume of literature has been published over the years, few academic books have comprehensively captured the truths and realities of anti-sanctuary movements and immigration in general. In this provoking, powerful, and timely analysis, Delgado vividly details the very essence of anti-immigration movements. He reveals not only immigrants' stories but also the unspoken/underlying forces governing anti-sanctuary movements to masterfully delineate the racial motives governing inclusion and exclusion. Writing from a humanistic standpoint, Delgado effectively situates anti-sanctuary movements within a broader context while revealing the contributions of immigrants and their significance to American society. This volume is a must-read for anyone interested in better understanding the historical, political, economic, and social forces shaping anti-immigration law, anti-immigrant movements, and immigrants' contributions to the US. It is also sure to become a seminal text in the fields of sociology, history, immigration studies, ethnic/minority studies, political science, and criminal justice. In the face of extreme anti-immigrant sentiment across the country, this study offers an opportunity for understanding, unity, positive transformation, and hope as society strives for social change, equality, and justice to combat polarizing divisions. Highly recommended. All levels.

Melvin Delgado, MSW, PhD, is professor of social work at Boston University. He is the former chair of Macro Practice. He has over forty years of practice, research, and scholarship focused on urban population groups, specifically within the Latinx community. Delgado’s research has addressed a variety of social issues and needs, and he has published over thirty books on urban community practice topics. He is currently the editor of the Oxford University book series on social justice and youth community practice. He is the author of Sanctuary Cities, Communities, and Organizations: A Nation at a Crossroads, Urban Youth Trauma: Using Community Intervention to Overcome Gun Violence, and many other books.