Washington — The Justice Department published a list of 35 “sanctuary” jurisdictions on Tuesday, vowing to bring lawsuits against states, counties and cities that limit local cooperation with federal immigration agents.
“Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country.”
The Justice Department put 12 states on its list — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington — and the District of Columbia. It also included Baltimore County, Maryland; Cook County, Illinois; San Diego County, California; and San Francisco County, California, along with 18 cities from Seattle to Philadelphia.
In April, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to “publish a list of States and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws” to be known as “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
Under the order, the Justice Department was to notify each jurisdiction of “its defiance of Federal immigration law enforcement.” If the jurisdiction continued to be in defiance, the order directed the Justice Department to “pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to end these violations and bring such jurisdictions into compliance with the laws of the United States.”
The Justice Department has taken legal action against a number of sanctuary jurisdictions in recent months, suing New York City in July to challenge its sanctuary city laws. Republicans in Congress have also homed in on the issue in fiery committee hearings this year, questioning Democratic mayors and governors over their jurisdiction’s policies.
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