sanctuary city

[ sangk-choo-er-ee sit-ee ]

noun

1. a city in which the local government and police protect undocumented immigrants and refugees from deportation by federal authorities:

   sanctuary cities where law enforcement cannot question crime suspects about their immigration status.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanctuary city¹

First recorded in 1865–70 in the sense “place of immunity from arrest”; the current sense, in 1980–85; possibly related to “Cities of Refuge” named in the Bible in the books of Joshua, Deuteronomy, and Numbers