More than a dozen states and a slew of cities and counties are listed, all of them at risk of losing federal dollars, including grants and contracts.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on May 29 released a list of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions across the nation that could be made ineligible for federal funding under an executive order by President Donald Trump.
The DHS list encompasses counties and cities across 35 states and the District of Columbia with policies deemed as obstructing federal immigration enforcement.
“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. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law.”
The announcement comes after an April 28 executive order signed by Trump requested that DHS produce “a list of States and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.”
In their press release on the publication of the list, DHS stated: “Each jurisdiction listed will receive formal notification of its noncompliance and all potential violations of federal criminal statutes. 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.”
In some cases, entire states have been marked sanctuaries. They include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia.
Some of the jurisdictions fall in traditionally Republican states. These include Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta and surrounding counties; Boise, Idaho; Monroe County, Indiana; Douglas County and Lawrence, Kansas; Louisville, Kentucky and four counties in the state; New Orleans; 10 counties in Nebraska; five counties in North Carolina; seven counties in North Dakota; and Nashville and one county in Tennessee.
Other states identified as having at least one county or city in violation of the law include Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
By Joseph Lord
