Iowa City Council to discuss sanctuary cities tonight

IOWA CITY - The Iowa City Council is set to discuss the concept of sanctuary cities during its work session at 5 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall.

While residents who attend the meeting, at 410 E. Washington St., should not expect to be able to comment during the meeting, no formal vote will take place and the meeting is open to the public.

The discussion comes just days after many Iowa City residents received automated phone calls from an organization called Priorities for Iowa, led by a former spokesman for Gov. Terry Branstad, about the work session.

Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton previously told The Gazette that City Hall was flooded with messages from residents voicing opinions on the concept of sanctuary cities after the calls.

Roughly a couple dozen residents wrote in asking the council not to declare Iowa City a sanctuary city this week. Throgmorton said, however, the work session discussion was scheduled because the council heard from many residents who supported the idea.

While there is no formal definition of a sanctuary city, City Attorney Eleanor Dilkes outlined the concept last week in a memo to the council.

She wrote that it generally refers to efforts by an entity to limit cooperation with federal immigration officials by not allocating resources to local enforcement of immigration laws or not asking about an individual's immigration status.

Some municipalities across the country have been declaring themselves sanctuary cities after President-elect Donald Trump said supported mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. If cities do not adhere to federal law, their federal grants may be in jeopardy, his advisers have said.

After the November election, various Johnson County officials spoke out to support diversity and express concern for all residents.

l Comments: (319) 339-3172; maddy.arnold@thegazette.com