(in North America) a city whose municipal laws tend to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation or prosecution, despite federal immigration law.
mayors in those cities reaffirmed their status as sanctuary cities
Definition of sanctuary city in US English:
sanctuary city
noun
(in North America) a city whose municipal laws tend to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation or prosecution, despite federal immigration law.
mayors in those cities reaffirmed their status as sanctuary cities