Sanctuary standouts.

• Author: Leon, Joshua K.

Sanctuary cities have no legal definition. What they do is minimize cooperation with federal immigration enforcers. While hardly radical, they provide lines of defense against deportations and recognize migrants' value to their communities. These six cities offer best practices:

Chicago

Chicago's Cook County is home to 1.1 million immigrants, third highest in the nation. It was one of two counties in 2,556 to earn a perfect score on the Immigrant Legal Resource Center's sanctuary metric. Chicago's sanctuary laws date back to 1985, and limit its agencies' ability to detain people for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or to ask about status.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles County has 3.5 million immigrants, more than any other county. The city and county have promised $10 million in legal aid to people facing deportation proceedings. Studies show competent legal defense drastically reduces deportations.

New Haven

This Connecticut community launched the nation's first municipal ID program in 2007, serving as a model for several major cities. Mayor Toni Harp vowed to fight Republicans in court if they attempt across-the-board federal funding cuts in retaliation against New Haven's sanctuary policies.

New York City

Mayor Bill de Blasio improved the city's...