Federal Immigration Agencies and Hamilton Sanctuary City Coalition

Hamilton Sanctuary City Coalition: City council voted unanimously to pass an Access without Fear Policy affecting all city services. This ensures that residents with precarious status are able to receive city services without fear of harassment, detention or deportation and that city staff would not disclose information to federal immigration agencies or officials if requested. The Hamilton Sanctuary City Coalition, which is made up of individuals and community organizations, has been working for almost a year to lobby city council to pass this motion. , according to Hamilton Spectator. The immigration system in Canada is profoundly broken and unjust. Residents of Hamilton, our neighbours, coworkers and friends frequently find themselves caught in a state of limbo and at risk of having their immigration status removed at any time. This can happen when a refugee claim is denied, when trying to leave an abusive partner who is also an immigration sponsor, when overstaying a visa, to name just a few ways. Increasingly, under the current federal Conservatives, we are seeing the pathways to citizenship or permanent residency shrink or become more arduous, while more people are only able to access temporary permits or visas. Sanctuary City is a meaningful step to helping the most marginalized community members in Hamilton access basic city services without fear that they will be detained or deported. On Feb. 12 Hamilton made a historic decision to declare itself the second Sanctuary City in Canada and the 32nd in North America. On that Wednesday evening supporters gathered to watch as councillors approved the Access to Services for Undocumented Individuals report CES14003 . The report shows that, although proof of citizenship is not currently required to access most city services, many people with precarious status fear that doing so might expose them to detection, detention or deportation. The report recommends revising the City of Hamilton's anti racism training to ensure all staff are aware of and support the city's commitment to serve our undocumented neighbours, and make these Hamiltonians aware of their rights under the new policies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.