A report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) detailed the surge in sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States.
CIS has tracked the number of illegal immigrant sanctuaries since 2015. These areas are defined in the report as “those state and local jurisdictions that have laws, ordinances, policies, or practices that prevent state and/or law enforcement agencies from cooperating fully with ICE in gaining custody of criminal aliens who have been arrested for local crimes.”
According to the report, there are 170 new sanctuary havens for illegal immigrants.
“The states with the most jurisdictions added to the map are Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York, and Minnesota,” the report says. Some sanctuary city jurisdictions were added to states with anti-sanctuary laws, including South Carolina, Indiana, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, and North Carolina.
The entirety of North Dakota has been added to the sanctuary list, as well as 27 counties in Virginia, 21 counties in Nebraska, and 13 counties in New York.
In the case of North Dakota, the state’s anti-sanctuary law has been “written too loosely to ensure cooperation with ICE,” the report says. The law “does not require North Dakota jails and prisons to honor ICE detainers, as other state laws do.”
“Often, county officials are concerned when they learn of their designation as a sanctuary, usually from their constituents, and move to reverse previously adopted policies that they recognize as contrary to public safety interests,” CIS wrote. “We frequently provide assistance to local officials in adopting recognized best practices on ICE cooperation.”
