Kristi Noem's 'Sanctuary' Cities List Taken Down After Police Org Condemned Her Department's 'Terrible Disservice' to Trump

The Department of Homeland Security, headed by Secretary Kristi Noem, removed a list of sanctuary cities and counties which it initially published in order to accuse local legislators of obstructing the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda.

The National Sheriffs' Association, a group that consistently supports President Donald Trump, spoke out against the publication of the list on Saturday, calling it "arbitrary".

"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 group's president, Sheriff Kieran Donahue of Canyon County, Idaho, said in a statement. "The sheriffs of this country feel betrayed."

The association continued to state that the list was "created without any input, criteria for compliance, or mechanism for how to object to the designation."

Noem shared the publication of the list last week, accusing representatives and officials of the included cities and counties of hampering federal law.

"These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens," Noem said at the time. "We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law. President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law."

Sanctuary city policies prevent local law enforcement officers from regularly checking in on people's immigration status, though undocumented immigrants are turned over to immigration authorities if they commit a felony.

Trump has referred to these policies as "lawless insurrection" against the federal government, and called for a list of cities which had adopted such policies. While the list published by the DHS included cities which are known sanctuary cities, such as Boston, Chicago, New York City and Denver, it also included cities which had never adopted such policies.

"The completion and publication of this list has not only violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement, but it also has the potential to strain the relationship between Sheriffs and the White House administration," NSA's statement continued. "This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that make takes years to overcome."