The U.S. Department of Justice has published a list of states, cities, and counties it says impede federal immigration enforcement.
The August 5 announcement identified 13 states, four counties, and 18 cities as having sanctuary policies. The criteria for inclusion on the list can be found here.
“Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country.”
The list represents a major escalation in the Trump administration’s confrontation with jurisdictions that limit cooperation with immigration authorities. States including California, New York, Illinois, and Oregon made the list, along with major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City.
STATES:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New York
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
COUNTIES:
- Baltimore County, MD
- Cook County, IL
- San Diego County, CA
- San Francisco County, CA
CITIES:
- Albuquerque, NM
- Berkeley, CA
- Boston, MA
- Chicago, IL
- Denver, CO
- East Lansing, MI
- Hoboken, NJ
- Jersey City, NJ
- Los Angeles, CA
- New Orleans, LA
- New York City, NY
- Newark, NJ
- Paterson, NJ
- Philadelphia, PA
- Portland, OR
- Rochester, NY
- Seattle, WA
- San Francisco City, CA
The action follows President Trump’s Executive Order 14287, signed April 28, titled “Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens.” The order directed federal agencies to identify jurisdictions that “violate, obstruct, and defy the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.”
The Justice Department has already filed several lawsuits against sanctuary jurisdictions. It sued New York City on July 24 over its immigration policies.
Louisville recently agreed to revoke its sanctuary policies after receiving a threatening letter from federal prosecutors. The mayor’s decision came before the city could be added to the published list.
Federal officials said the list isn’t exhaustive and will be updated as more information becomes available. They offered to help jurisdictions eliminate sanctuary policies to get removed from the list.
The complete roster includes states from coast to coast, with concentrations in the Northeast and West Coast. Four counties made the list: Baltimore County, Maryland; Cook County, Illinois; San Diego County, California; and San Francisco County, California.
Cities range from major metropolitan areas to smaller municipalities like East Lansing, Michigan, and Hoboken, New Jersey. Several New Jersey cities appeared on the list, including Newark, Paterson, and Jersey City.