Chicago Will Stay a 'Sanctuary City' for Undocumented Immigrants; Will Trump Cut Federal Funds? (Video)

CHICAGO, IL — While President-elect Donald Trump said over the weekend his administration only would be going after undocumented immigrants who are criminals, Mayor Rahm Emanuel told residents that Chicago would still be a safe zone for those individuals and remain a "sanctuary city."

"Chicago has been a city of immigrants since it was founded," Emanuel said in a statement. "We have always welcomed people of all faiths and backgrounds, and while the [presidential] administration will change, our values and our commitment to inclusion will not."

But what is a sanctuary city and what does it mean to Chicagoans?

What Is a Sanctuary City?

Sanctuary cities across the United States are municipalities that have established policies that don't require local agencies to go after residents simply based on their status as U.S. citizens. Chicago was declared a sanctuary city in 1985 when Mayor Harold Washington issued an executive order, and Mayor Richard M. Daley renewed that status in a 1989 executive order.

This does not mean that Chicago police and other local law enforcement agencies will not investigate, arrest or prosecute undocumented immigrants for non-immigration crimes.

What Other Cities Claim This Status?

More than 30 U.S. cities consider themselves sanctuary cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Baltimore, Miami, Denver and New York City. In fact, New York had sanctuary city policies while adviser and potential Trump cabinet member Rudolph Giuliani was mayor, according to the Washington Post.

What Does This Mean for Chicago's Undocumented Immigrants?

Besides being a "safe haven" for immigrants without official U.S. citizenship, Chicago also provides guidance to those individuals.

In his statement released Sunday, Emanuel encouraged undocumented immigrants "to call 311 for information about legal resources, as well as other supportive services." Operators at that number also would help families with information about Chicago’s upcoming Municipal ID program, which will start providing city IDs in late 2017 so that all Chicagoans can have access to official identification.

Residents can go to the city's FAQ page for its Office of New Americans for more information.

How Could This Affect Chicago?

During his "60 Minutes" interview Sunday, Trump said he was shrinking the size of the net he wanted the federal government to cast over undocumented immigrants, focusing only on individuals with criminal records at first. But that still means his new administration was looking at deporting around 2 to 3 million people, he said in the interview.

RELATED: Watch Anti-Donald Trump Protesters March Through Downtown Chicago

Trump's 100-day "Contract With The American Voter" plan he released during the presidential race also targets sanctuary cities. One of the plan's "five actions to restore security and the constitutional rule of law" that Trump will implement on his first day in office is to cut federal funding to sanctuary cities.

Follow-through by Trump to punish Chicago and other U.S. cities for being safe havens for immigrants has some Illinois lawmakers worried.

"Am I concerned about it …? Absolutely," said U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, a Democrat, during an interview on WLS-AM (890), according to the Chicago Tribune. "In the final analysis, though, I think if the president wants to do what he talks about, for example with a big infrastructure package, he's going to need support across the aisle. And if he says none for Chicago, he's not going to get any support from anybody in Chicago, frankly in the Chicagoland area."

Mayors in other sanctuary cities have pushed back on that threat since Trump's election. Along with Emanuel, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti have reaffirmed those municipalities' sanctuary city status.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges is still standing behind a city ordinance prohibiting local law enforcement from targeting undocumented immigrants and has criticized Trump's warning to sanctuary cities when it comes to federal money, according to ABC 5 Eyewitness News in St. Paul, Minnesota:

"I will not compromise the public safety of the people of Minneapolis to satisfy Trump’s desire to put politics before public safety. If Congress follows through on President-elect Trump’s threat to cities, they will have our hardworking officers bear the brunt of their own obstructionism. The complete failure of President-elect Trump's allies in Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform should not be borne by our local police officers who already have a tough job to do."

YOUR TURN: What do you think of Chicago's status as a "sanctuary city?" Do you think it should continue regardless of President-elect Donald Trump's threat of cutting off federal funding? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel (left) and President-elect Donald Trump (photos via Patch archive)

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