“I Am Neither a Criminal nor Am I a Terrorist”

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This chapter examines how the New Sanctuary Movement emerged in post–September 11 America as faith communities responded to intensified immigration enforcement and a growing deportation regime. It traces the political and economic forces of the 1990s, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), restrictive legislation, and the rise of crimmigration that expanded border militarization, increased deportations, and deepened public anxiety about undocumented migrants. Through the case of Elvira Arellano, who sought sanctuary in a Chicago church to resist deportation and defend family unity, the chapter shows how religious activism revives sanctuary as moral protest. It analyzes the movement’s national expansion through faith-based coalitions, media advocacy, and family-centered framing while activists challenged mass deportations during the Obama administration. Finally, the chapter evaluates the movement’s continuing role as a faith-based defense against family separation and anticipates renewed sanctuary activism after Donald Trump’s 2016 election reshaped immigration politics.</jats:p>