Gov. Doug Ducey: Arizona will not have sanctuary cities

PHOENIX — Arizona will not have any sanctuary cities, state Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday in an interview with Mac and Gaydos.

Ducey pushed back against the idea that the state would enact any sanctuary cities, an issue that surfaced last week after a citizen brought in a petition to vote on Phoenix becoming a sanctuary city.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said last week that Phoenix City Council will violate Arizona law if it votes on Feb. 15 to become a sanctuary city.

While there is no formal definition for a sanctuary city, Ducey defined the term as an area that does not comply with federal law, something he believes Arizona should not do.

“We think people should comply with the law,” Ducey said in an exclusive interview with Mac and Gaydos. “The state complies with federal law, cities should comply with federal law, so that’s not something that exists here in the state of Arizona and that’s not something that we’re going to have.”

During the interview, Ducey also touched on President Donald Trump’s executive order that aimed to stop travelers in several Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S..

Ducey, who moved to stop Arizona from accepting refugees after the 2015 Paris attack, said he supported the order and viewed it as enforcing “a better job at screening to make sure citizens are safe.”

“My No. 1 role as governor is public safety, so I’m in favor of [it],” Ducey said, adding that he wants to see “clarity” of what’s happening and good communication to ensure that Arizona citizens are not stranded overseas.

The executive order has garnered a range of reactions across the country, sparking protests from some over what some viewed as unlawful detainment of U.S. citizens and igniting praise over the crackdown of border security from others.

But Ducey said he is all for the “temporary” order and hopes to be more involved in the refugee placement process in the future.

“I’m in favor of this temporary ‘time-out,'” Ducey said. “It’s a federal issue and governors haven’t been consulted in the [refugee placement] process. We want to have a seat at the table and communication in how the process works.”