Montreal becomes 'sanctuary city' after unanimous vote

The City of Montreal unanimously approved a motion on Monday declaring itself a"sanctuary city" for unauthorized immigrants.

The motion includes provisions to ensure undocumented people can obtain services without fear of deportation.

Mayor Denis Coderre said the move is more than symbolic andwillhelp protect and assist the most vulnerable without compromising security.

The designation comes as the province is dealing with an increase in the number of asylum seekers crossing the border illegally from the United States.

• Quebec sees biggest increase in illegal crossings from U.S., RCMP says

Solidarity Across Borders, a Montreal-based human rights organization, welcomed the idea but saidthe city needs to take stepsbeyond what it called"easy symbolism."

The group saidMontreal police routinely arrest undocumented migrants and handthem over to the Canada Border Services Agency. It wants that practice stopped.

In a statement, the group also calledon Montreal to bar border agents from all city premises.

Changes for police, city services

Coderre, a former federal immigration minister, said the designation would lead to substantivechanges.

"We have the expertise. We know the situation on the ground," he said.

Among the provisions contained in the motion:

• A commitment to offer access to city programs and services, particularly municipal housing, without fear of being detained or deported.
• A plan for undocumented people in "vulnerable situations" to receiveassistance from Montreal police without being reported to immigration officials.
• A call on the Quebec government, which is responsible for the provincial immigration, to ensure access to health care, emergency services and lodging.
• A call onthe federal government to regularize the status of undocumented migrants.

Sanctuary cities in Trump age

Coderre initially referred to Montreal as a "sanctuary city" while tweeting a response last month toU.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban, which proposed limiting entry for visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries.

While the term "sanctuary city" carries no officiallegal definition, in the U.S. it has come to mean more limited co-operation with federal immigration officials and the safe harbour of undocumented immigrants.

Sanctuary ordinances might, for example,discourage police from helping federal officers with immigration status checks.

Last month, Trump issued an executive order to pull millions of dollars in grants from local governments that fail to comply with federal immigration enforcement laws.

• How 'sanctuary cities' are reacting to Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants

As Trump has pressed ahead with his more restrictive immigration policies, large numbers ofasylum seekers from the U.S. have been crossing the Quebec border illegally.

ButJennyJeanes, a representative from ActionRfugisMontral, a social justice group, said asylum seekers crossing into Canada aren't likely to be affected by Montreal's new status as a sanctuary city.

• Why Denis Coderre wants to make Montreal a sanctuary city

"Sanctuary, I think, applies more to people who are without any status in Canada or without any documentation giving them the right to reside," Jeanes said.

Undocumented migrants include visitors who've overstayed their visa, failed refugee claimants and those who've had their refugee status revoked.

Many of those currently crossing the U.S. border illegally are taken into custody by the RCMP before being processed by immigration officials, during which they are given identification papers.

Lessons from Toronto?

Toronto and Vancouver are already designated sanctuary cities, as are Hamilton and London, Ont.

Several other cities across Canada, including Ottawa, Saskatoon, Reginaand Winnipeg,are also considering the possibility.

• Sanctuary city debate headed to committee for public discussion

A new report by criminologists at Ryerson University found that Toronto, which became the first sanctuary city in 2013, lacked the funding and political leadership to follow through on the commitment.

Idil Atak, one of the authors of the report,saidpolice are still turning people in for being undocumented, "sometimes witnesses of crimes, or people who are victimized themselves for example, domestic violence victims. The victim himself or herself is very much afraid of calling thepolice."

JeanessaidMontreal police will need to be on board for the declaration to be meaningful, noting that the motion adopted Monday doesn't go into detail about whether police officers would co-operate with federal border officials.

"I often meet people who are in immigration detention who were initially met by the police, not even because of any crime but sometimes it's a traffic violation," she said.

• Sanctuary city movement grows in Canada, but are police on board?