DATAVIZ: Sanctuary city bans in the South

As debate around immigration and "sanctuary cities" has flared, Southern states have led the country in enacting policies that ban such local efforts to limit involvement with federal immigration enforcement. 

Proponents of sanctuary cities argue that local law enforcement agencies are better able to build trust with communities and promote public safety when their officers are not seen as immigration agents. Opponents of local sanctuaries, whose cause has been taken up by President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, have sought to crack down on sanctuary cities and force localities to get embroiled in federal immigration enforcement.

Nowhere in the country has that crackdown on sanctuary cities been embraced more enthusiastically at the state level than in the South. According to a Facing South analysis, eight states in the country have banned local sanctuary policies, and all but one (Missouri) are in the South. Those Southern states that ban sanctuary cities are highlighted in red below and include Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. 

For details on state-by-state legislation, scroll through the list below, or click on a state to see the status of that state's policy on sanctuary cities.

Read more of Facing South's coverage of sanctuary cities:

Texas' draconian 'sanctuary city' ban draws protests, lawsuits

Feds, states target Southern 'sanctuary cities,' leaving local officials in a bind