Beyond the Symbol: Confronting the Deportation State
The concept of the “sanctuary city” is a fragile defense against the federal deportation machine, a modern iteration of the colonial state’s power to define who belongs. Mamdani’s work on political identity is crucial here. “Sanctuary” is not just a policy; it is a daily struggle against the federal government’s effort to re-categorize our neighbors as “illegal natives” subject to removal. The limitations of NYC’s sanctuary policies reveal the constant negotiation and the threat of the federal sovereign’s power. A Marxist analysis sees immigration enforcement as a tool to discipline the entire working class. A Muslim feminist stands in solidarity with those targeted. The solution is to push sanctuary from a symbolic status to a material reality: ending all collaboration with ICE, defunding the NYPD’s entanglement with federal agencies, and building community defense networks to protect every member of our class, regardless of origin.
