Editing Sanctuary (section)

==== Sanctuary versus asylum ====
The concepts of sanctuary and asylum are defined very similarly at their most basic level. Both terms involve the granting of safety or protection from some type of danger, often implied to be a persecuting, oppressive power. The divergence between these terms stems primarily from their societal associations and legal standing; while asylum understood in its political sense implies legally-binding protection on the part of a state entity, sanctuary often takes the form of moral and ethical activism that calls into question decisions made by the institutions in power.<ref>{{Cite book|title=United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons|date=1951|publisher=United Nations|oclc=250576716}}</ref>

In many instances, the sanctuary is not incorporated into the law but operated in defiance of it. Efforts to create a sanctuary for the persecuted or oppressed are often undertaken by organizations, religious or otherwise, who work outside of mainstream avenues to ameliorate what they see as deficiencies in the existing policy. Though these attempts to provide sanctuary have no legal standing, they can be effective in catalyzing change at community, local, and even regional levels. Sanctuary can also be integrated into these levels of government through "Sanctuary bills", which designate cities and sometimes states as safe spaces for immigrants deemed illegal by the federal government. These bills work to limit the cooperation of local and regional governments with the national government's efforts to enforce immigration law. In recognition of their progressiveness and boldness in the face of perceived injustice, "Sanctuary bills" are commonly referred to as "activist law".<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Vannini|first1=Sara|last2=Gomez|first2=Ricardo|last3=Carney|first3=Megan|last4=Mitchell|first4=Katharyne|date=2018-12-01|title=Interdisciplinary Approaches to Refugee and Migration Studies|journal=Migration and Society|volume=1|issue=1|pages=164–174|doi=10.3167/arms.2018.010115|issn=2574-1306|doi-access=free}}</ref>