The Trump administration’s much-awaited list of “sanctuary” jurisdictions that are considered uncooperative with federal immigration enforcement was criticized by state and local officials, and some of the White House’s most ardent allies questioned how they ended up on it on Friday.
In addition to being rife with misspellings, the list featured sparsely populated counties that actively support President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policies, have minimal contact with immigration authorities, and voted massively for him.
‘Sanctuary’ jurisdictions for immigrants
A list of over 500 U.S. jurisdictions that the Department of Homeland Security claims do not collaborate with immigration authorities was made public.
Despite filing a lawsuit against the state’s immigration sanctuary statute and passing a resolution this year designating the community as a “non-sanctuary city,” the city of Huntington Beach in California was included in the list of hundreds.
“At first when I heard it I was like, accidents happen,” said Pat Burns, the mayor of Huntington Beach. However, he referred to it as “negligent” after observing so many other cities grouped together with his. “You don’t have that many mistakes on such an important federal document — somebody’s got to answer to that.”
In the meantime, those who advocated for immigration protections retaliated by claiming that they were acting in the best interests of their communities.
“This is simply the latest attempt by the Trump administration to strong-arm cities like Seattle into changing our local policies through bluster and threats to critical federal funding for public safety and homelessness,” Bruce Harrell, the city’s mayor stated. “It’s not going to work — the law is on our side — and we will not hesitate to protect our people and stand up for our values.”
As the Trump administration steps up its efforts to fulfill the president’s campaign pledges to deport millions of illegal immigrants, the list was released. It was released after a White House official stated that the administration wished to boost daily immigration arrests and after Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced significant leadership changes.
Cincinnati, which was spelled Cincinnatti, was one of the misspelled communities on the list. Additionally, several counties were incorrectly classified as cities, and vice versa.
According to the administration, if any jurisdiction on the list is thought to be in breach of any federal criminal statutes, they will be formally notified that the government has determined that they are noncompliant.
The Department of Homeland Security responded to inquiries on Friday regarding the list by restating that it was created based on a variety of criteria, such as whether the communities declared themselves to be sanctuary jurisdictions, how well they cooperated with federal authorities enforcing immigration laws, whether they had limitations on exchanging information with immigration enforcement, and whether they provided any legal protections for those who were in the country illegally.
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Some communities are unaware of their inclusion
The list doesn’t seem to make sense, according to officials from blue to red and urban to rural regions.
According to Jim Davel, the administrator of Shawano County, Wisconsin, his community’s inclusion must have been a clerical error. Davel and 67% of Shawano County cast their ballots for Trump.
Davel believes that the administration might have mistaken the county’s 2021 vote to become a “Second Amendment Sanctuary County,” which forbids gun control measures, for an immigrant safe haven. According to him, no immigrant sanctuary policies have been approved by the county.
Otero and Lincoln counties in New Mexico, which have Second Amendment sanctuary policies, were also included on the list.
Seven primarily tiny, rural counties in North Dakota made the list, including Slope County, which has a population of roughly 700 and voted heavily for Trump in 2024.
According to County Commission Chairman Scott Ouradnik, county authorities contacted Republican Governor Kelly Armstrong’s office to discuss the next steps and will speak with the county state’s attorney next week.
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Other communities stand up for their policies
According to immigrant-friendly communities, their policies make sure that witnesses or victims feel comfortable coming forward to report crimes.
The list includes states with such policies, such as California, Illinois, and Washington.
Connecticut’s Hartford, According to Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, the rules and practices of the capital city have improved the safety and vibrancy of the neighborhood.
Police cannot arrest someone based only on their immigration status, and Hartford prohibits the use of an individual’s immigration status as a reason for denying them city services.
It’s unclear what standards were applied to create the list, what sanctuary means, and what legal action the government intends to take against the jurisdictions, according to Nithya Nathan-Pineau, an attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
