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Sanctuary policies are designed to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents to protect low-priority immigrants from deportation, while still turning over those who have committed serious crimes. These can be enacted at a city, county or state level.
The term comes from the Sanctuary Movement, a religious and political campaign that began in the early 1980s when churches opened their doors to Central Americans fleeing conflict in their home countries. Federal agencies often have a policy of not arresting immigrants on church grounds. While states with sanctuary policies limit its cooperation with ICE it does not mean one is fully protected from the agency.