Springfield mulls becoming a ‘Welcoming City’ for undocumented immigrants

An ideological group wants Springfield to officially become a “Welcoming City,” which is similar to so-called “Sanctuary cities” but without legal protections.

Welcoming Cities encourage undocumented immigrants to settle down and build a life, but they do not offer protections from deportation.

WRSP TV reported on the proposal. The State Journal-Register says the resolution will be discussed next week. If passed when it is voted on Nov. 7, the resolution is not legally binding.

Sanctuary cities limit their cooperation with federal agencies to enforce immigration laws. Chicago is a Sanctuary City.

In contrast, a Welcoming City is “an embrace of the immigrants that we’ve had for the last two centuries,” Veronica Espina, co-chair of the Springfield group Action Illinois, told WRSP.

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Springfield mulls becoming a ‘Welcoming City’ for undocumented immigrants."