Introduction
Sanctuary states are those that limit or ban cooperation of state and local officials with the federal government in regard to enforcement of immigration law. So, when federal law enforcement agencies are investigating or prosecuting someone for illegal immigration, state and local police departments would be precluded from providing information or assistance under state law.
The meaning of sanctuary states however differs depending on whom one is speaking to. For instance, some see sanctuary states or cities being places where illegal immigrants are protected. While others see these areas as some sort of shelters against aggressive federal deportation policies.
As of 2021, there were seven sanctuary states. However, while there is no statewide sanctuary law in these, four additional states have cities and/or counties that provide sanctuary from federal immigration law.
Learn for yourself about sanctuary states by surveying the data in the charts.
| State | Sanctuary States | Foreign Born Population |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No | 3.5% |
| Alaska | No | 8.1% |
| Arizona | No | 12.6% |
| Arkansas | No | 4.7% |
| Delaware | No | 10.1% |
| Florida | No | 21.2% |
| Georgia | No | 10% |
| Hawaii | No | 18.8% |
| Idaho | No | 6.1% |
| Indiana | No | 5.6% |
| Iowa | No | 5.4% |
| Kansas | No | 6.9% |
| Kentucky | No | 4% |
| Louisiana | No | 4.3% |
| Maine | No | 4.1% |
| Maryland | No | 15.9% |
| Michigan | No | 6.8% |
| Minnesota | No | 8.5% |
| Mississippi | No | 2.1% |
| Missouri | No | 4.1% |
| Montana | No | 2.2% |
| Nebraska | No | 7.4% |
| Nevada | No | 18.4% |
| New Hampshire | No | 5.9% |
| North Carolina | No | 8.2% |
| North Dakota | No | 4.4% |
| Ohio | No | 5% |
| Oklahoma | No | 5.8% |
| Pennsylvania | No | 7.2% |
| Rhode Island | No | 14.5% |
| South Carolina | No | 5.2% |
| South Dakota | No | 3.5% |
| Tennessee | No | 5.3% |
| Texas | No | 17.2% |
| Utah | No | 8.3% |
| Virginia | No | 12.4% |
| West Virginia | No | 1.6% |
| Wisconsin | No | 5.1% |
| Wyoming | No | 3.4% |
| California | Yes | 26.6% |
| Colorado | Yes | 9.8% |
| Connecticut | Yes | 15.2% |
| Illinois | Yes | 14.2% |
| Massachusetts | Yes | 17.6% |
| New Jersey | Yes | 23% |
| New Mexico | Yes | 9.1% |
| New York | Yes | 22.3% |
| Oregon | Yes | 9.7% |
| Vermont | Yes | 4.2% |
| Washington | Yes | 14.8% |
Sanctuary States by State
Alabama
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
3.5%
Ranked in the US
#46
Alaska
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
8.1%
Ranked in the US
#25
Arizona
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
12.6%
Ranked in the US
#15
Arkansas
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
4.7%
Ranked in the US
#39
California
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
26.6%
Ranked in the US
#1
Colorado
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
9.8%
Ranked in the US
#19
Connecticut
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
15.2%
Ranked in the US
#10
Delaware
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
10.1%
Ranked in the US
#17
Florida
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
21.2%
Ranked in the US
#4
Georgia
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
10%
Ranked in the US
#18
Hawaii
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
18.8%
Ranked in the US
#5
Idaho
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
6.1%
Ranked in the US
#30
Illinois
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
14.2%
Ranked in the US
#13
Indiana
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
5.6%
Ranked in the US
#33
Iowa
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
5.4%
Ranked in the US
#34
Kansas
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
6.9%
Ranked in the US
#28
Kentucky
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
4%
Ranked in the US
#45
Louisiana
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
4.3%
Ranked in the US
#41
Maine
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
4.1%
Ranked in the US
#43
Maryland
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
15.9%
Ranked in the US
#9
Massachusetts
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
17.6%
Ranked in the US
#7
Michigan
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
6.8%
Ranked in the US
#29
Minnesota
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
8.5%
Ranked in the US
#22
Mississippi
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
2.1%
Ranked in the US
#50
Missouri
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
4.1%
Ranked in the US
#44
Montana
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
2.2%
Ranked in the US
#49
Nebraska
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
7.4%
Ranked in the US
#26
Nevada
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
18.4%
Ranked in the US
#6
New Hampshire
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
5.9%
Ranked in the US
#31
New Jersey
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
23%
Ranked in the US
#2
New Mexico
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
9.1%
Ranked in the US
#21
New York
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
22.3%
Ranked in the US
#3
North Carolina
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
8.2%
Ranked in the US
#24
North Dakota
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
4.4%
Ranked in the US
#40
Ohio
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
5%
Ranked in the US
#38
Oklahoma
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
5.8%
Ranked in the US
#32
Oregon
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
9.7%
Ranked in the US
#20
Pennsylvania
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
7.2%
Ranked in the US
#27
Rhode Island
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
14.5%
Ranked in the US
#12
South Carolina
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
5.2%
Ranked in the US
#36
South Dakota
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
3.5%
Ranked in the US
#47
Tennessee
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
5.3%
Ranked in the US
#35
Texas
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
17.2%
Ranked in the US
#8
Utah
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
8.3%
Ranked in the US
#23
Vermont
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
4.2%
Ranked in the US
#42
Virginia
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
12.4%
Ranked in the US
#16
Washington
Sanctuary States
Yes
Foreign Born Population
14.8%
Ranked in the US
#11
West Virginia
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
1.6%
Ranked in the US
#51
Wisconsin
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
5.1%
Ranked in the US
#37
Wyoming
Sanctuary States
No
Foreign Born Population
3.4%
Ranked in the US
#48