Liberal Tucson votes overwhelmingly against becoming official sanctuary city

A ballot measure that would have made Tucson the first sanctuary city in Arizona was overwhelming rejected by voters in the heavily Democratic city.

The measure to make the city an official sanctuary city was rejected by 71% of voters, according to unofficial election results released by the city late Tuesday.

Democrats designated Tucson an “immigrant welcoming city” in 2012, and the police department limited when officers could ask people about their immigration status. The move came after Arizona passed a law that required local police to check the immigration status of people they believed to be in the United States illegally.

“The city of Tucson, in all respects except being labeled as such, operates as a sanctuary city,” Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, a Democrat, told the Associated Press.

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