DHS Releases List Of ‘Sanctuary’ Jurisdictions That Could Lose Federal Funding

Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times,

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on May 29 released a list of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions across the nation that could be made ineligible for federal funding under an executive order by President Donald Trump.

The DHS list encompasses counties and cities across 35 states and the District of Columbia with policies deemed as obstructing federal immigration enforcement.

“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “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.”

The announcement comes after an April 28 executive order signed by Trump requested that DHS produce “a list of States and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.”

In their press release on the publication of the list, DHS stated: “Each jurisdiction listed will receive formal notification of its noncompliance and all potential violations of federal criminal statutes. DHS demands that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens.”

In some cases, entire states have been marked sanctuaries. They include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia.

Some of the jurisdictions fall in traditionally Republican states. These include Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta and surrounding counties; Boise, Idaho; Monroe County, Indiana; Douglas County and Lawrence, Kansas; Louisville, Kentucky and four counties in the state; New Orleans; 10 counties in Nebraska; five counties in North Carolina; seven counties in North Dakota; and Nashville and one county in Tennessee.

Other states identified as having at least one county or city in violation of the law include Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Trump’s April order calls for executive department chiefs and the director of the Office of Management and Budget to “identify appropriate Federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions, including grants and contracts, for suspension or termination, as appropriate.”

It also calls on the attorney general and DHS secretary 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 push to strip sanctuary jurisdictions of federal funds aligns with a long-held Republican objective of border security and enforcement of immigration laws.

Future actions related to Trump’s executive order are also expected.

To ensure that illegal immigrants are not accessing federal entitlements like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP)—commonly known as food stamps—Medicaid, Medicare, or others, the president directed the attorney general and DHS secretary to “develop guidance, rules, or other appropriate mechanisms to ensure appropriate eligibility verification is conducted for individuals receiving Federal public benefits.”

He has also directed the same officials to “identify and take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens.”