A catalogue of over 500 ‘safe havens,’ known as ‘sanctuary jurisdictions,’ has been removed from the website of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following backlash against its inclusion of regions that have openly backed the strict immigration policies of the Trump administration. Just a week ago, this comprehensive list was posted on the DHS’s online portal.
The DHS, upon publishing this list, stated that it would serve formal notices to each jurisdiction, categorizing them as hostile to federal immigration enforcement. The list also sought to point out those jurisdictions that were potentially in breach of Federal criminal statutes. This list, however, could only be seen on the DHS’s site until last Thursday. By Sunday, an error message saying ‘Page Not Found’ was displayed in its stead.
This comprehensive register formed a crucial part of the Trump administration’s strategy to pinpoint and target those communities, states, and jurisdictions declining to contribute to its immigration enforcement objectives. The Trump administration made bold promises, including the deportation of more than 11 million unauthorized residents in the United States. It therefore sought to identify those jurisdictions that were not fully committed to this agenda.
Serving as the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, appeared on Fox News’ broadcast ‘Sunday Morning Futures,’ where she acknowledged the disapproval from various officials regarding the list. However, the cause behind its removal was not clarified by her. Addressing the issue, Noem stated, ‘There was significant resistance from numerous cities.’
According to Noem, these cities possess a misconception; they believe their lack of a specific law does not qualify them as sanctuary jurisdictions. Contrary to their belief, however, they do qualify. As she puts it, ‘They are providing refuge to criminals.’ The list had faced criticism for several misspellings, provoking city officials across the political and geographical spectrum into questioning its validity.
In the extensive list, the city of Huntington Beach, California made an appearance, despite the fact that it had filed a lawsuit earlier this year against the state’s immigration sanctuary law. Additionally, there was a resolution passed declaring the town a ‘non-sanctuary city,’ which only added to the confusion as to why it was included in the list.
The list’s inconsistencies were not limited to California; they stretched across to Shawano County, Wisconsin. According to the county’s administrator, Jim Davel, the mention of his county on the list could only be attributed to an administrative mistake. Davel, along with 67% of the Shawano County’s population, cast their votes in favor of Trump.
Davel conjectured that the confusion could be traced back to the county’s 2021 vote that led to its designation as a ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary County.’ This status prohibits any measures aimed at gun control, but it has no bearing on being a sanctuary for immigrants. Davel explicitly stated that the county did not approve any immigration sanctuary policies, further highlighting the inaccuracies of the list.