The Department of Homeland Security pulled its list of sanctuary jurisdictions following criticism from the National Sheriffs’ Association.
The list, originally published on May 29, detailed U.S. states and counties with sanctuary policies. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said upon its publication that local politicians are “endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens.”
According to National Sheriffs’ Association President Sheriff Kieran Donahue, the sanctuary list was “created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to object to the designation. Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label.”
Donahue argued that the list violated “the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement,” as well as risked straining the “relationship between Sheriffs and the White House administration.” The NSA president added that trust lost from the list’s publication “may take years to overcome.”
“DHS has done a terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country. The President’s goals to reduce crime, secure the Borders, and make America safer have taken a step backward,” the NSA president claimed, adding that the association “believes that the criteria for evaluation used by DHS must be published immediately, and they must provide a legitimate reason to evaluate those not cooperating with ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies. These are not just common-sense efforts; they are urgent necessities.”
The list complied with President Trump’s executive order directing the Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary to “publish a list of States and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.”
