In April of 2018, federal agents from Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) arrested 225 undocumented immigrants in one week in the state of New York. 163 of these arrests were made in New York City, a “sanctuary city.” What protections does a sanctuary city actually offer undocumented immigrants? What are the limits to these protections? How do these policies impact immigrants, their families, and their communities?
In the spring of 2018, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Diamond James and public high school students from Bushwick Leaders’ High School for Academic Excellence to investigate these questions. Students got out of the classroom to survey their community, interview key stakeholders working on the issue, and create their own visions for sanctuary cities. The crew gathered what they learned and created Seeking Sanctuary, a booklet that teaches others about NYC’s sanctuary city policies.
Students debuted their project at the Living Gallery in Bushwick where they presented their booklet, demonstrated their interview skills, and shared their creative process.
Get your own booklet here!