Once Donald Trump became President of the United States, he enacted many executive orders. On January 31, President Trump put in an executive order to action that would ban traveling to the U.S. from seven countries. These countries mainly consist of Muslims.

Many cities have proclaimed themselves as sanctuary cities in the past. A sanctuary city allows everybody in the city, whether immigrant or not, to have access to city resources/services and require less documentation if one is an immigrant.

To combat this ban on immigrants, the Mayor of Birmingham, William A. Bell, added the city to this list as of February 2, 2017.  With the tagline “Where freedom lives” it makes sense that Birmingham would be one of the first cities to establish this peaceful and welcoming environment into 2017.

“Birmingham does not have direct international flights that would result in any sort of refugee detention situation. Birmingham is a peaceful protest city. It is our legacy. We support the right to protest and will assist in any way to make that possible,” said city spokesperson, April Odom.

While many citizens are happy with this decision, the Governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley, has stated, “Alabama will not support sanctuary cities or institutions that harbor or shelter illegal immigrants, and are in clear violation of the laws of the nation.”

With the dire consequences frightening many, the decision to proclaim the city as a sanctuary city looms over the head of many. Another executive order that Trump passed is an order that will stop federal funding to cities that claim to be sanctuary cities. This could affect city resources and may put a halt on city projects.

Alabama officials are also thinking of putting a ban on cities within the state that assume the role of a sanctuary city. Birmingham representatives are standing behind their decision and intend to do what they can to protect the citizens of Birmingham, Alabama.