History of Safe Haven Cities
Many ancient Near Eastern cultures observed the custom of allowing specified religious places such as shrines to offer those accused of crimes safety and freedom from apprehension. The need for such locations arose from the common practice of family or clan retaliation. also known as blood vengeance.
As the Old Testament establishes, specific designation of cities of refuge in the division of the Promised Land between the twelve tribes of Israel occurred. The priestly Levites received distribution of forty-eight cities throughout the land, six of which were to serve as cities of refuge as identified in Joshua 20:7-8.
Location of Biblical Cities of Refuge
Accessibility was a key consideration for the cities of refuge for the Israelites. The chosen locations assured that no one was too far from a place of safety. In fact, anyone in Israel could reach such a location within a day or less.
Kedesh, Golan, Ramoth, Shechem, Bezer, and Hebron served as the six cities of refuge in north to south order. Three of these cities—Kedesh, Schechem, and Hebron—sat on the west side of the Jordan River with the other three on the river’s east side.

How Did Cities Of Refuge Work?
God set aside cities of refuge for use in the case of unintentional deaths. The accused would be safe from the victim’s family avenger until the case could go to trial for determination whether the act was unintentional. The temporary sanctuary provided a cooling-off period which helped to prevent a cycle of violence. It also helped direct the focus to a fair legal assessment from that of vengeance.
If a trial found the accused acted unintentionally, he remained in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest in office at the time. Following that high priest’s death, he could then return and live on his own property. Having cities of refuge in existence emphasized God’s desire for justice tempered with mercy. They stopped revenge killing and allowed the accused the opportunity to stand trial.
Modern Safe Haven Cities In The News
Today no biblical cities of refuge exist in the US, but sanctuary cities have popped up across the country. These safe haven cities do not relate to murder but to illegal immigration. Immigrants illegally in the US flock to such places.
As a result, President Trump has these cities in the crosshairs for his crackdown on illegal immigration. On Inauguration Day, he signed many executive orders aimed to clamp down on illegal immigration in keeping with his pledge to deport millions of illegal immigrants. A raid by immigration agents in the sanctuary city of Newark, New Jersey, New Jersey’s largest city, swiftly followed three days later rounding up undocumented migrants.

What’s A Sanctuary City?
Unfortunately, no precise legal definition exists for a sanctuary city. Although the sanctuary is typically a city, counties and states may also serve as sanctuaries. Generally, the term describes a jurisdiction refusing to share information or to assist US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) with deportations.
The characterization as a sanctuary does not, however, mean a jurisdiction refuses to allow ICE’s presence. According to Global Refuge, sanctuaries often merely won’t arrest or keep people for an immigration issue only. Instead, the jurisdiction prioritizes its local resources for local problems rather than voluntarily assisting with national immigration enforcement. The bottom line? The sanctuary simply limits or denies cooperation with the federal government’s enforcement of immigration law.

Where Are Safe Haven Cities In The US?
California blazed the sanctuary city trail in this country. The city of Berkeley became the first in the US to pass a sanctuary resolution in November 1971. Later, in 2017 with the governor’s signature on a legislation, the entire state became a sanctuary. Currently eleven states plus the District of Columbia have designated themselves as sanctuaries. Nevertheless, many states, such as Alabama and Florida, have banned sanctuary cities. Between 2022 and 2024, thousands of migrants were bused from Texas to Chicago, Washington, DC, New York City, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles, identified as sanctuary cities.
What Safe Haven Cities Teach
While today’s sanctuary cities provide a source of debate and controversy, they do point to a biblical view embraced by the cities of refuge in the Old Testament. Justice must be tempered with mercy. If they accomplish nothing else, safe haven cities force consideration of the concept of refuge and remind believers how they can turn to Jesus as the ultimate refuge from the condemnation of the law.