The national debate over immigration policy could be coming to a diner near you.
The Associated Press reports dozens of restaurants nationwide—from down-home delis to upscale bistros—are seeking “sanctuary” status, a designation owners hope will help protect employees in an immigrant-heavy industry and tone down fiery rhetoric sparked by the presidential campaign.
First inspired by churches, the label is something cities and other public entities have sought to offer local protections to immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, whether it’s barring police from asking citizens about immigration status or refusing to cooperate with federal agents.
Roughly 80 restaurants are participating, in locations including New York, Minneapolis, Detroit, Boston, Oakland, California, and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The restaurants agree to anti-discrimination policies, put up signs on windows that pronounce their sanctuary status and receive know-your-rights training, such as webinars on how to ask federal immigration agents for proper paperwork if there’s an attempted raid. Some will also offer a text line for customers or employees to report any incidents of harassment.
At Detroit’s Russell Street Deli, customers walking in the front door of the racially diverse restaurant see a sign that reads: “SANCTUARY RESTAURANT, a place at the table for everyone.”
“I have this one little place where I get to decide how people treat each other,” says owner Ben Hall. “If someone has the need to insult someone … then they don’t get to participate. I’ve told them, ‘There’s another diner next door.'”
The movement is loosely defined and largely symbolic. Restaurants are private businesses subject to workplace law and regulations, and a sanctuary designation will do nothing to prevent federal agents from arresting any workers in the country illegally.
But organizers of the sanctuary restaurants movement say it’s a response to the uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump, whose campaign cornerstones included stepped-up deportations and a wall along the Mexican border, though he has not given details on how either would be carried out. They argue the restaurant industry is more vulnerable than others, given its heavy reliance on immigrant labor.
An estimated 1.3 million in the industry are immigrants living in the country without legal permission, according to Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which launched the campaign and works to improve industry conditions.
