Constructing a Transnational Understanding of the New Sanctuary Movement

To date, New Sanctuary Movement (NSM) scholars have largely focused on the movement’s federal legislative efforts to characterize the movement as purely domestic, comprised exclusively of organizations and individuals based in the United States, calling for legal reform in the United States. Unfortunately, this characterization is somewhat simplified. In reality, the NSM consists of organizations that have sought to provide basic legal and humanitarian services to refugees from Central America, aside from any federal legislative demands. This thesis thus demonstrates that the NSM comprises a diverse set of transnational actors that have mobilized for legal change at the federal and local levels, connected refugees from Central America to legal aid providers, provided necessary survival supplies to refugees, and helped provide services that help refugees acclimatize to their lives in the United States. Applying theories on transnational social movements and social movement emergence and formation, this work (1) traces the historical growth of the NSM from the early 2000s to the current day, under President Donald Trump and (2) draws on empirical research to reveal the broad coalition of actors that are part of the NSM today.