Other Group

Dane Sanctuary Coalition (DSC)

Website:

danesanctuarycoalition.org/

Location:

Madison, WI

Type:

Immigration Advocacy Coalition

Formation:

2017

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The Dane Sanctuary Coalition (DSC) is a left-of-center organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, which offers “physical sanctuary” to immigrants and refugees. 1 The organization is affiliated with the New Sanctuary movement, and it was founded by a coalition which includes Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, Voces de la Frontera, and Centro Hispano of Madison. 2 It currently has five congregations which provide sanctuary for illegal immigrants and 15 congregations which support its work. 3

The DSC opposes Title 42, a federal public health provision which has been used to control illegal immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it supports in-state tuition for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students and driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. 4 5 The organization has compared its work to the anti-slavery escape network known as the Underground Railroad. 6

Agenda

Sanctuary Work

The Dane Sanctuary Coalition claims that the United States’s immigration policies are “immoral” and that the policies “threaten families, instill fear in our communities, and violate the most basic ethical standards all our faith traditions teach.” 7 DSC provides sanctuary in church buildings for immigrants in Wisconsin. 8

The organization claims that its use of church buildings as sanctuaries is similar to Northern abolitionists who hid slaves in churches as part of the Underground Railroad and continues the sanctuary work which activists in the 1980s did to protest the federal government’s limits on Central American refugees. 9 DSC is part of the New Sanctuary Movement, which began in 2007 and continues to harbor illegal immigrants in church buildings throughout the country. 10

Other Immigration Advocacy

In addition to its work providing sanctuary to immigrants, the Dane Sanctuary Coalition embraces many other left-of-center positions on immigration. The organization opposes Title 42, which it claims prevents “asylum-seekers from legally entering this country to apply for asylum.” 11 Title 42 is a public health law which both the Trump and Biden administrations used during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent migrants from coming across the U.S.-Mexico border. The policy has been the subject of litigation between the Biden administration and Republican-led states because it has helped Border Patrol agents stop a huge increase in migration across the Mexican border by people from many countries around the world. 12

The DSC also claims that changes to child labor laws and the current immigration system create “desperation among young migrants that allows for their exploitation.” 13 The organization supports giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, allowing DACA recipients to pay in-state tuition, and increasing funding for English language programs in public schools. 14

Organization

The Dane Sanctuary Coalition was founded by Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, Voces de la Frontera, and Centro Hispano of Madison, and the organization is affiliated with the New Sanctuary Movement. 15 The organization is led by a Steering Committee which includes the executive directors of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, Voces de la Frontera, and Centro Hispano as well as representatives from member congregations. 16

The Dane Sanctuary Coalition is also supported by several left-of-center organizations, including the Community Immigration Law Center, Family Farm Defenders, the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Worker Justice Wisconsin, and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. 17

Funding

While financial records for the Dane Sanctuary Coalition are not publicly available, the organization says on its website that donation directly to the organization are not tax-deductible. 18 The DSC says that Centro Hispano, a nonprofit based in Madison, is its fiscal agent and donations to that organization, which can be earmarked for the DSC, are tax-deductible. 19

References

  1. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “About Us.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/. Accessed April 23, 2023.
  2. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “DSC Steering Committee.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/. Accessed April 17, 2023.
  3. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “DSC Members.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/. Accessed April 17, 2023.
  4. Dane Sanctuary Coalition (@DaneSanctuary). “Faith leaders gathered in Milwaukee Tuesday…” Facebook, December 23, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/DaneSanctuary/.
  5. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “Kids Forward has put out this summary…” Facebook, March 15, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/DaneSanctuary/.
  6. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “Education.” WordPress, https://danesanctuary.wordpress.com/page/. Accessed April 23, 2023.
  7. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “About Us.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/. Accessed April 23, 2023.
  8. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “About Us.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/. Accessed April 23, 2023.
  9. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “Education.” WordPress, https://danesanctuary.wordpress.com/page/. Accessed April 23, 2023.
  10. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “Education.” WordPress, https://danesanctuary.wordpress.com/page/. Accessed April 23, 2023.
  11. Dane Sanctuary Coalition (@DaneSanctuary). “Faith leaders gathered in Milwaukee Tuesday…” Facebook, December 23, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/DaneSanctuary/.
  12. Hackman, Michelle. “What Is Title 42? What It Means for Immigration and U.S.-Mexico Border.” The Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2023. https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-is-title-42-border-rules-migration-11649118539.
  13. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “The Economic Policy Institute has issued…” Facebook, March 15, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/DaneSanctuary/.
  14. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “Kids Forward has put out this summary…” Facebook, March 15, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/DaneSanctuary/.
  15. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “About Us.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/. Accessed April 17, 2023.
  16. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “DSC Steering Committee.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/. Accessed April 17, 2023.
  17. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “DSC Members.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/. Accessed April 17, 2023.
  18. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “Donate.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/?page_id=15. Accessed April 23, 2023.
  19. Dane Sanctuary Coalition. “Donate.” https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/?page_id=15. Accessed April 23, 2023.
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Dane Sanctuary Coalition (DSC)


Madison, WI