Latest news with #KieranDonahue
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Feds placed two NH communities on a list of ‘sanctuary jurisdictions' — then took down the list
Flanked by conservative lawmakers and sheriffs, Gov. Kelly Ayotte speaks to reporters before signing two pieces of anti-sanctuary city legislation. (Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin) The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a list of 'sanctuary jurisdictions' — a term for towns and cities that have policies hindering local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials — that included Lebanon and Hanover Thursday, but by the end of the weekend, it had pulled that list offline. In unveiling the list (which has been archived online by third parties), DHS demanded Lebanon and Hanover, as well as communities in 34 other states and Washington D.C., revise their policies. The list was mandated by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April requiring DHS to produce and publicize such a list. Soon after its release, however, law enforcement officials nationwide pushed back. National Sheriffs' Association President Sheriff Kieran Donahue called the list an 'unnecessary erosion of unity and collaboration with law enforcement' on Saturday, and said it '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.' In a statement to States Newsroom, DHS didn't answer questions as to why the list was removed. 'As we have previously stated, the list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly,' a DHS spokesperson said. 'Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens.' The saga came after New Hampshire officials themselves demanded the policies be re-written. In May, Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed two anti-sanctuary city bills — House Bill 511 and Senate Bill 62 — into law. When they go into effect in January, the bills will require New Hampshire cities and towns to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers 'if safe to do so,' prohibit policies that would ignore federal immigration-related directives and authorities, forbid local police and sheriffs from investigating the citizenship status of someone in their custody — unless that person is under investigation for violating New Hampshire law — and take away state or local governments' authority to prohibit their police or sheriffs from entering into voluntary agreements with ICE. At the bill signing ceremony in May, Ayotte declared, 'there will be no sanctuary cities in New Hampshire.' Legislators at the ceremony said they'd identified between nine and 12 communities with sanctuary city laws that hinder law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Federal list of ‘sanctuary jurisdictions' leaders said erroneously included Hampton Roads cities deleted after criticism
The webpage for a Department of Homeland Security list of localities it said were in violation of federal immigration law was taken down over the weekend following statements by Hampton Roads officials that their respective cities were included on the list in error. The page was created Thursday at with the header 'Sanctuary Jurisdictions Defying Federal Immigration Law.' By Sunday, the page had been deleted. The original page stated it would be continuously updated and that the jurisdictions listed would receive formal notice of their noncompliance. It also included a 'demand' that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with federal immigration laws. Virginia Beach, Hampton, Portsmouth, Newport News and Gloucester County were included on the list of localities that, the page read, 'are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities' and protecting 'dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril.' Hampton Roads cities accused by Homeland Security of obstructing federal immigration officials Spokespersons for Virginia Beach, Gloucester County and Hampton said in emailed statements to The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press that they were included on the list in error. Thirty-three Virginia localities were included on the list, including Richmond and Fairfax County, which has the largest population in the state. It also includes areas that voted heavily in favor of Trump in the 2024 election, including Gloucester and Middlesex counties on the Middle Peninsula. National Sheriff's Association President Sheriff Kieran Donahue on Saturday said the list 'lacks transparency and accountability' and 'could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome.' 'This list was created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to object to the designation,' Donahue's statement reads. 'Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label. 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.' Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806,
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump's sanctuary cities list disappears after sheriffs' criticism, 12 Mass. cities on the list
In the face of stiff criticism from a national law enforcement group, the Trump administration withdrew a list published last week of states and cities across the country it said were violating federal law by providing sanctuary to undocumented immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday identified more than 500 communities, including Boston and 11 others in Massachusetts, that it said were 'sanctuary cities' — localities that limit their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. But by Sunday, the link to the list on the department's website led only to an empty webpage. The publication drew swift pushback from the National Sheriffs' Association, a group representing more than 3,000 elected sheriffs nationwide, including some whose departments were confused why they had ended up on the list. 'The Sheriffs of this country feel betrayed,' Kieran Donahue, the president of the association, said in a statement Saturday. He said the list lacked input, criteria or a mechanism for appeal, leaving sheriffs with 'no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label.' The publication 'violated the core principles of trust, cooperation and partnership with fellow law enforcement,' Donahue said, creating a 'vacuum of trust' between federal and local law enforcement 'that may take years to overcome.' 'The list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly,' a senior Homeland Security official said in response to a request for comment Monday morning. Federal officials said last week that the 'lawless' jurisdictions identified on the list would be formally notified of the government's belief that they were noncompliant with the law. They would be ordered to change local policies to match the Trump administration's stance on immigration issues or risk losing federal funding or contracts. Proponents of sanctuary policies say they are not only legal but beneficial to public safety as well. By avoiding cooperation with immigration agents on noncriminal matters, they argue undocumented residents feel more comfortable interacting with police, leaving cities safer as a whole. Read more: Sanctuary or not, immigrant fears transcend borders in Chelsea, Revere The Trump administration disagrees. 'These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,' U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement Thursday accompanying the list's publication. The list of sanctuary jurisdictions included communities in nearly three dozen states, including all six in New England. In Massachusetts, the communities identified by the Trump administration were: Amherst Boston Cambridge Chelsea Concord Holyoke Lawrence Newton Northampton Orleans Somerville Springfield Boston's sanctuary policy has frequently been singled out by the Trump administration. Under city law, Boston police are barred from asking members of the public about their immigration status or assisting federal agents with civil immigration enforcement. However, the law does not prevent police from assisting immigration authorities with criminal investigations into drugs, weapons, human trafficking or other matters. Read more: Boston's Trust Act: What it is and how it works The government said Massachusetts as a whole also qualified as a sanctuary jurisdiction, potentially referring to a ruling from the state's highest court barring any police department from detaining someone at the request of federal officials without a warrant. The government further listed every county in the state as a sanctuary jurisdiction, excluding Hampden County. Donahue said Trump administration officials could not explain to his organization who developed or verified the list before its publication. In public statements, administration officials were vague on the precise criteria behind the list. They said it was based on a number of factors, including whether the communities self-identified as sanctuary jurisdictions, how much they comply with federal immigration law, whether they had restrictions on information sharing with the immigration enforcement authorities and what protections they provide people in the country without documentation. The sheriffs' association 'believes that the criteria for evaluation used by DHS must be published immediately, and they must provide a legitimate reason to evaluate those not cooperating with ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies,' Donahue said. 'These are not just common-sense efforts; they are urgent necessities.' Boston Mayor Wu lays out safety plan as city enters volatile summer months Man stole police officer's gun, fired it outside Mass General Hospital, officials say Boston Police responding to 'active incident' near Mass General Hospital After serious safety concerns at Boston Calling last year, fans return in 2025 Read the original article on MassLive.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Kristi Noem and DHS quietly remove list of Sanctuary cities just days after its launch on web after GOP outcry
The Department of Homeland Security has quietly removed from the web a list of 500 sanctuary jurisdictions around the country it accused of 'shamefully obstructing' the Trump administration's deportation plans after pushback from some GOP strongholds that were included on it. Cities, counties and states across the U.S. were targeted by the department in the list, including those who claimed to be outspoken supporters of President Donald Trump 's immigration policies. The National Sheriffs' Association also issued a statement Saturday criticizing the list, saying that it 'lacks transparency and accountability.' Its president, Sheriff Kieran Donahue, said that the list was created without any input from sheriffs and 'violated the core principles of trust, cooperation and partnership with fellow law enforcement.' The list was taken down over the weekend and the original link to the web page now reads: 'Page not found.' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was asked about it by Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures. 'I saw that there was a list produced,' Bartiromo said. 'Now, the list I don't see anymore in the media. Do you have a list of the sanctuary cities that are actually hiding illegals right now?' Noem did not directly acknowledge the list being taken down from the department's website. The department previously said the sanctuary jurisdictions 'are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities.' 'Some of the cities have pushed back,' she said Sunday. '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.' Republican strongholds griped after finding themselves on the list. Jim Davel, administrator for Shawano County, Wisconsin, said the inclusion of his heavily GOP community must be a clerical error. 'We have no idea how we got on this list whatsoever right at this point,' Davel said. 'I think it was just a big mix up, probably some paperwork or something.' Communities said the list didn't make sense. In California's Orange County, the city of Huntington Beach was on the list even though it has sued the state over its policies that protect immigrants and its City Council supports Trump. But the nearby city of Santa Ana, which has policies to protect members of its sizable immigrant community, was not. The Las Vegas government said it believed it was included in the list due to a 'misunderstanding.' 'The city of Las Vegas has never designated itself as a sanctuary city,' the statement said. 'We are not sure why DHS has classified Las Vegas in the manner it has. We hope to have conversations with those at the federal level to clear up this misunderstanding.' Immigrants' rights organizations condemned the administration's action as 'unconstitutional and immoral.' 'Labeling sanctuary policies as 'lawless insurrection' is not only inflammatory—it is legally baseless and a reckless distortion of the rule of law,' said Jessica Inez Martínez, director of policy and coalition building at New Mexico Immigrant Law Center.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
US homeland security removes list of ‘sanctuary' cities after sheriffs' criticism
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removed a list of 'sanctuary' states, cities and counties from its website following sharp criticism from a sheriffs' association that said a list of 'non-compliant' sheriffs could severely damage the relationship between the Trump administration and law enforcement. DHS on Thursday published a list of what it called sanctuary jurisdictions that it deemed were included in areas that have a policy of limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The list prompted a response from the National Sheriffs' Association, which represents more than 3,000 elected sheriffs across the country and generally supports federal immigration enforcement. Sheriff Kieran Donahue, president of the association, said in a statement on Saturday that DHS published 'a list of alleged noncompliant sheriffs in a manner that lacks transparency and accountability'. Donahue said the list was created without input from sheriffs and 'violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement'. Donald Trump had called for his administration to tally apparent sanctuary jurisdictions, in a late April executive order, saying the lack of cooperation amounted to 'a lawless insurrection'. The DHS website listing the jurisdictions was offline on Sunday, an issue that Fox News host Maria Bartiromo raised with the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, on the talk show Sunday Morning Futures. 'I saw that there was a list produced,' Bartiromo said. 'Now, the list I don't see anymore in the media. Do you have a list of the sanctuary cities that are actually hiding illegals right now?' Noem did not acknowledge the list being taken offline but said some localities had bristled. '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.' Leaders of some cities publicly questioned the sanctuary label this week, including jurisdictions in southern California, Colorado and Massachusetts. San Diego city attorney Heather Ferbert told local outlets that San Diego – named on the DHS list – had never adopted a sanctuary policy and that the move appeared to be politically motivated. 'We suspect this is going to be used as additional threats and fear tactics to threaten federal funding that the city relies on,' she said. Immigrant advocates and some Democrats say sanctuary policies help build trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement so that residents will be more likely to report crimes. At a hearing before a US House of Representatives committee in March, mayors from Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City, which vote majority Democratic party, said sanctuary policies made their cities safer and that they would always honor criminal arrest warrants. Noem, who shares Trump's hardline anti-immigration views, said the department would continue to use the sanctuary tally. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The internet archive website Wayback Machine showed the list still online on Saturday.
