- From the basements of churches in the 1980s to today’s sanctuary cities, government crackdowns on efforts to protect immigrant communities have targeted both clergy and public officials who dare to defy federal immigration enforcement. Sanctuary on Trial: Criminalizing Immigrant Solidarity in Modern America tells the sweeping, often overlooked history of these clashes, ones that have included raids on houses of worship, the prosecution of pastors, threats to strip funding from defiant municipalities, and the relentless pressure brought to bear on those who shelter and advocate for immigrants. The book also traces a parallel story, detailing how conservative Christian leaders and organizations have emerged as some of the most influential advocates for restrictive immigration policies. Framing border enforcement as a biblical mandate, they have built alliances with lawmakers, mobilized congregations, and helped dismantle sanctuary protections, often standing in direct opposition to clergy and faith communities offering refuge. Through vivid storytelling and compelling historical analysis, Sanctuary on Trial reveals that today’s sanctuary battles are part of a much longer struggle over the moral, religious, and political boundaries of hospitality and mercy. More than an account about shifting immigration policy, it is a reckoning with one of America’s most vexing questions: who is entitled to safety, and who gets to decide?