The Trump administration on Thursday released a list of every “lawless” sanctuary jurisdiction in the U.S. that allegedly obstructing federal immigration law.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a comprehensive list of cities, counties and states purportedly refusing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and “endangering” American citizens. The administration says it’s sending each jurisdiction formal notifications of its non-compliance and demanding their policies be amended.
“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a prepared statement.
“We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law,” Noem continued. “President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law.”
Included in the list are well-known and self-identifying sanctuary cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, New York City and Denver. Also included is Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, where nursing student Laken Riley was brutally murdered by an illegal migrant in February 2024 by an illegal migrant.
The exhaustive list also includes numerous counties and jurisdictions that have virtually never been the center of national discussion about sanctuary policies, such as a slate of GOP-friendly counties in North Dakota and Kentucky and cities including Anchorage, Alaska.
“DHS is committed to exposing these lawless jurisdictions to the public and making them accountable for not respecting the rule of law,” the department’s press release stated. “DHS demands that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens.”
Publication of the sanctuary cities list is the latest in the Trump White House’s ongoing war against jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with ICE agents.
Immediately after President Donald Trump re-entered the Oval Office, the Department of Justice (DOJ) established a Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group, which is tasked with identifying state and local laws or policies that are “inconsistent” with federal immigration initiatives and challenging those laws in court when necessary. Attorney General Pam Bondi in February ordered the DOJ to pull funding from sanctuary cities and called for an investigation into the funding of organizations that provide assistance to illegal migrants.
The Trump administration in February also sued Chicago, Cook County and the state of Illinois for its sanctuary policies restricting cooperation between local police and ICE.
The president in April signed “Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens,” an executive order requiring DHS and the Attorney General to publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that “obstruct” the enforcement of federal immigration laws and to continue updating the list when necessary. The administration is then directed to identify federal funds, such as grants and contracts, being distributed to these jurisdictions that can be appropriately terminated as a consequence.
While there is no official definition for a “sanctuary city,” the label generally describes any locality that prohibits local officials from assisting or otherwise cooperating with ICE agents. Common sanctuary city policies prevent local law enforcement from honoring immigration detainer requests, sharing information with ICE or notifying the agency of an impending release of a wanted illegal migrant.
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