Trump-Aligned Cities and Counties Flabbergasted DHS Labeled Them Immigrant 'Sanctuaries'

Officials from counties and cities across the country were shocked to discover they had been included on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS') list of "sanctuary jurisdictions," a classing that could threaten their federal funding.

Several local officials across the country, including those in Huntington Beach, Calif.; Montour County, Pa.; and Duffield, Va., expressed frustration over being included on the DHS' dynamic list of more than 500 "sanctuary jurisdictions." Some districts, including Kit Carson County, Colo., which has a population of less than 7,000 people, have even passed resolutions declaring they are not a sanctuary city.

"It was a complete and total surprise to everyone in the county when we got put on that list," Julie Kraye, a county commissioner in Hooker County, Neb., which has a population of 700 people, most of whom voted for Trump in 2024, told The New York Times. "We just don't have the infrastructure for the housing or what these people would need," she added.

The list "is actively reviewed, will be regularly updated and can be changed at any time," a Homeland Security official told the Times, but some county officials said they have asked the Trump administration to remove them from the list to no avail.

"This has been going on for close to a decade," Trevor Finn, a county commissioner in Montour County, Penn. told the Times. "We've tried everybody to get us off this list," he said, including reaching out to Pennsylvania's senators.

Officials suggested several misunderstandings may explain why these cities were included on the list, including confusion with unrelated "sanctuary" declarations, such as those opposing gun control or abortion, which have nothing to do with immigration.

Others pointed to outdated or irrelevant data, noting that a decade-old list from a conservative think tank may have been used to compile the current one. Some small counties said they lacked the infrastructure, like jails, to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which could have made them appear uncooperative on paper.

In some cases, officials recalled receiving vague federal questionnaires years earlier and suspect their responses were misinterpreted. Without a clear federal definition of "sanctuary jurisdiction," many believe the list was carelessly assembled and riddled with errors.