The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is ramping up pressure on so-called sanctuary jurisdictions by publicly listing over 500 of them, including cities, counties and states, arguing they are obstructing the enforcement of immigration laws, therefore putting American citizens at risk.
DHS published the lengthy list on Thursday, telling all of the jurisdictions that they will receive a formal notice that the President Trump administration views them as not complying with federal immigration laws.
The department is asking the jurisdictions to alter their current policies to better align with immigration laws as the administration continues its push to accelerate mass deportations around the country.
“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 statement.
“We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law. President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first,” Noem added. “Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law.”
The release of the extensive list of counties and cities comes just over a month after Trump signed an executive order directing Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish a “list of States and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws (sanctuary jurisdictions).”
“It’s quite simple — obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on April 28, when Trump signed the order.
The list was formed by looking at if jurisdictions were complying with federal law enforcement officials, had legal protections for immigrants who are in the United States illegally or were restricted from sharing information regarding the issue, according to DHS.
Some of the officials whose cities were on the list have fired back at DHS.
‘To be clear: by definition, Baltimore is not a sanctuary city, because we do not have jurisdiction over our jails. We follow our limited obligations as defined under federal immigration law,” Baltimore mayor Brandon M. Scott said in a statement late Thursday.
“But we are a welcoming city, and we make no apologies for that,” the mayor added.
