Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Louisville, Kentucky, dropped its sanctuary city policy after the Department of Justice threated to sue the city.
“In a major victory for the Department of Justice, the city of Louisville is dropping its sanctuary city policies as a result of a strong written warning from my office,” Bondi said. “This should set an example to other cities. Instead of forcing us to sue you — which we will, without hesitation — follow the law, get rid of sanctuary policies, and work with us to fix the illegal immigration crisis.”
Democratic Mayor Craig Greenberg shared the policy change in a letter to Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate. The letter, obtained by Fox News, said that by “returning to our pre-2017 practices and again honoring 48-hour detainers, thereby functionally extending the notice period to DHS from 5-12 hours to 48 hours, Louisville will no longer be considered a sanctuary jurisdiction and, as a result, will no longer be vulnerable to the negative consequences of this designation.”
“The city will, therefore, adjust its detainer policy to avoid litigation over DOJ’s allegations of federal preemption,” Greenberg wrote.
He noted in the letter that his responsibilities require him to “weigh the risks involved in any potential litigation against the city and determine the best path forward for the community in the face of legal uncertainty.”
Louisville received a letter from Shumate in June that condemned the city’s ordinance stating that “[p]ublic safety officials may not question, arrest or detain any person for violations of federal civil immigration laws.”
The action stands in line with President Trump’s executive order detailing consequences for identified sanctuary cities.
