Thread: Syracuse area has lowest illegal immigration rate in U.S., study says

By Michelle Breidenbach
on March 07, 2017 at 8:23 AM, updated March 07, 2017 at 9:04 AM

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse area has a lower percentage of illegal immigrants than any other metropolitan area in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center.

There are fewer than 5,000 people in the region who are are considered "unauthorized" because they either crossed the border illegally or overstayed their visas, researchers said.

That is less than 1 percent of the total population and 4 percent of all foreign-born people living in the region, the study said.

Syracuse ranked at the bottom of a list of 155 U.S. metro areas - along with the Albany and Buffalo areas.

See where your city ranks

Pew researchers estimate unauthorized immigrants are clustered in 20 metropolitan areas, mostly in California and Texas. The highest numbers were in the New York City and Los Angeles metro areas.


(for some reason not all the details are showing on graph here so to view please click on the source link)

In 2014, those 20 regions were home to 6.8 million unauthorized immigrants, which is 61 percent of the total in the U.S.

Unauthorized immigrants made up 3.5 percent of the total U.S. population

The center analyzed 2014 data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey along with Homeland Security statistics.

President Donald Trump has made illegal immigration a priority, answering a call from supporters who believe people crossing the border illegally are committing crimes and suppressing wages in low-skilled jobs.

In January, Trump issued an executive order that would punish municipalities that harbor people living in the country illegally.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner has said Syracuse is a "sanctuary city," which generally means city police and other resources will not be used to detain or prosecute people for violating federal immigration laws.

http://www.syracuse.com/data/index.s...tudy_says.html

Mayor Miner: Syracuse will remain sanctuary city, won't enforce federal anti-immigrant policies

By Chris Baker | cbaker@syracuse.com
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on January 12, 2017 at 9:03 PM, updated January 13, 2017 at 10:05 AM

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Mayor Stephanie Miner said Syracuse will stand defiantly against an impending federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

Syracuse is now and will remain a sanctuary city for immigrants, Miner declared during her State of the City address Thursday.

"I promise you that as long as I am mayor, the resources of this city, including the Syracuse Police Department, will not be used to help enforce federal anti-immigrant policies," Miner said, earning a standing ovation. "As long as I am mayor, Syracuse will be a sanctuary city for vulnerable families who had the misfortune of being born in a war-torn corner of our world."




Miner's comments come as President-Elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. Trump has repeatedly pledged to crack down on undocumented immigrants and sanctuary cities.

A sanctuary city is not an official government designation. The term refers to a city that does not detain or prosecute people for violating federal immigration laws. Such cities became a focus in last year's presidential campaign as Trump outlined strict immigration policies.
Nationwide, more than 300 cities are considered sanctuaries.

With tonight's declaration, Miner joins mayors from cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and dozens more who have pledged to defy Trump's federal immigration policies. In Chicago, for example, Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently set aside $1 million for legal defense for undocumented immigrants.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a statement following the speech in which he supported Miner's stance.

"Mayors of cities large and small across New York and across the country are taking the same stance - one that New York City steadfastly supports," he wrote. "In times as uncertain as these, it is crucial that mayors band together as the first line of defense for our residents. Together, we can protect our people."

Resistance like Miner's could result in a showdown between Trump's new administration and local governments. Last year, Trump threatened to withhold federal grants for sanctuary cities. He could also sue cities that refuse to abide by federal immigration policies.

Miner said she is concerned about losing federal funding based on Trump's cabinet selections more than the city's immigration policies. She said his policies are "antithetical" to the city's progress with the exception, maybe, of infrastructure spending.

For those reasons and more, she said, she did not support Trump's bid for the presidency.
"In the 24 or 48 hours after the presidential election I had a number of people who are immigrants or new Americans reach out to me in fear," she said. "I've been part of elections that I've won and part of elections that I've lost, but this is the first time I've been part of an election where there was a fear from Americans about what their future was going to be."

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.s..._policies.html