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ABSTRACT
This article recounts the story of sanctuary city organizing in Ottawa, Canada to explore the politics and potential of a transformative approach to sanctuary rooted in anti-prison activism and abolitionist feminist thought. More specifically, we have adapted the abolitionist framework of reformist reform and non-reformist reform and applied it to sanctuary city organizing. Analysis of the Ottawa case draws on research with frontline service providers and migrant justice organizers, as well as our own organizing experiences, observations, and adaptive practices as sanctuary city campaigners. The paper also elaborates on the forms of solidarity and citizenship that have emerged or have the potential to emerge in the context of a non-state centric vision of sanctuary that prioritizes grassroots transformative practices over municipal policy and that do not bolster or legitimize the state’s capacity to deport, punish, and exclude.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. In the United States, the phrase Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), is associated with a homophobic policy in place from 1994 to 2011 that prevented openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people from serving in the military, while also preventing superiors from investigating a person’s sexuality without cause. In Canada, DADT refers to policies that restrict police and service providers from asking about immigration status or sharing that information with the immigration authorities. DADT policies in Canada are now more commonly referred to as Access Without Fear (AWF), signalling that people should be able to access supports and services without fear they will be reported or deported.
In the United States, the phrase Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), is associated with a homophobic policy in place from 1994 to 2011 that prevented openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people from serving in the military, while also preventing superiors from investigating a person’s sexuality without cause. In Canada, DADT refers to policies that restrict police and service providers from asking about immigration status or sharing that information with the immigration authorities. DADT policies in Canada are now more commonly referred to as Access Without Fear (AWF), signalling that people should be able to access supports and services without fear they will be reported or deported.
2. Between July and October 2019, the authors participated in informal meetings with 21 sanctuary city advocates in six different Canadian cities to discuss local sanctuary city and migrant justice organizing.
Between July and October 2019, the authors participated in informal meetings with 21 sanctuary city advocates in six different Canadian cities to discuss local sanctuary city and migrant justice organizing.
3. A content analysis of transcripts from this meeting reveals 51 incidents of ‘precarious migration’ or ‘precarious status’ spoken by supporters of the sanctuary city policy, compared to 7 incidents of ‘undocumented’ or ‘illegal’ combined (CPS (Community and Protective Services) Committee Citation2017).
A content analysis of transcripts from this meeting reveals 51 incidents of ‘precarious migration’ or ‘precarious status’ spoken by supporters of the sanctuary city policy, compared to 7 incidents of ‘undocumented’ or ‘illegal’ combined (CPS (Community and Protective Services) Committee Citation2017).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Fiona Jeffries
Fiona Jeffries is a member of the Ottawa Sanctuary City Network and a socialist and feminist activist, writer, educator, and editor. She is the author of Nothing to Lose But Our Fear, among other things, and is working on an oral history of radical healthcare provision.
Jennifer Ridgley
Jennifer Ridgley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University and a member of the Ottawa Sanctuary City Network.