Contrary to popular misconception, Newton isn’t technically a sanctuary city. It’s a “welcoming city.”

Both distinctions aim to protect undocumented immigrants. But there are differences between the two terms, and those differences are becoming more important as the Trump administration sends Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into communities to round up immigrants for deportation.

“Newton’s Welcoming City ordinance affirms the City’s commitment to making all residents, workers and visitors feel safe and secure regardless of immigration status and the ordinance has served our community well,” Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said.

A welcoming gesture

In June 2017, the Newton City Council passed an ordinance making the Garden City a “welcoming city.”

There was a push to make Newton a sanctuary city, and the “welcoming city” designation was a compromise.

The ordinance—enacted during President Donald Trump’s first term amidst his ban on immigrants from Muslim-majority nations—prohibits local law enforcement and city officials from arresting, investigating or alerting federal authorities about someone based solely on immigration status. It also bars the city from cooperating with the federal government on any efforts to create a registry based on ethnic origin or religion.

Trump is back in the Oval Office, and he’s doubled down on his push for mass deportations. In the past couple of weeks, ICE agents have been seen grabbing people off the streets across Massachusetts, including in Worcester, Waltham, Watertown and Newton.

What ‘welcoming’ means

The Welcoming City ordinance makes Newton a sanctuary-like city in that it prohibits Newton police from assisting ICE in arresting anyone unless an investigation has shown that the suspect in question is under investigation for terrorism, has been convicted of a major felony, or has an outstanding criminal warrant.

And even then, the ordinance states that all investigation procedures must be in compliance with the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article XIV of the Massachusetts Constitution, Fuller explained.

“The ordinance clarifies that the City does not identify, investigate, arrest, detain, or continue to detain a person solely on the belief that the person is not present legally in the United States, that the person has committed a civil immigration violation, or that the person is otherwise deportable,” Fuller said.