Updated: Amherst on List of More Than 500 Sanctuary Cities Targeted by Trump Administration

The Trump administration released on Thursday (5/29) a list of more than 500 municipalities and counties including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, that the Department of Homeland Security has declared in violation of federal immigration laws.

“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 press release.

President Trump has threatened to revoke federal funding and pursue lawsuits against communities on the list if they do not come into compliance with the law. Amherst was among 12 communities and 13 counties from Massachusetts on the list. Franklin and Hampshire Counties were listed for Western Massachusetts.  Read the full listing here.

A sanctuary city is a municipality that implements policies to limit local enforcement of federal immigration laws to protect undocumented immigrants. These policies typically involve limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, such as refusing to honor detainers or requests for ICE to hold individuals for deportation. 

Trump signed an executive order on April 28 requiring the secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General to publish a list of states and local jurisdictions that they considered to be obstructing federal immigration laws. The list is to be regularly updated.

Update: The Department of Homeland Security on Sunday (6/2) removed from its web site its previously published list of 500 municipalities that it had declared in violation of federal immigration law. The National Sheriff’s Association and several cities had objected to the listing, noting that they were actively cooperating with Trump’s immigration policies or that they had actively opposed sanctuary city legislation.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that there had been anger from some officials about the list. However, she didn’t address why it was removed “Some of the cities have pushed back,” Noem said. “They think because they don’t have one law or another on the books that they don’t qualify, but they do qualify. They are giving sanctuary to criminals.” Read more here.

Read More:
Protesters Seeking Answers to ‘Troubling’ ICE action in Amherst, as Federal Officials Tout 1,500 arrests in Mass. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Trump Administration Pressures ‘Sanctuary Jurisdictions’ by Publishing List of Places ‘Deliberately Obstructing’ Immigration Enforcement (PBS)

Trump Administration Publishes List of Sanctuary Cities and Counties to Target (Wall Street Journal)

Trump Wants to Cut Funding to Sanctuary Cities and Towns but They Don’t Actually Violate Federal Law (The Conversation)