The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions, which featured numerous communities in upstate New York, no long appears on the department’s website. If you’re looking for the page, it currently shows a “page not found” error message. 


What You Need To Know

  • The Department of Homeland Security posted a list of sanctuary jurisdictions that are allegedly obstructing the enforcement of immigration law

  • That list was met with backlash and confusion by many of the listed jurisdictions

  • The Department of Homeland Security has since taken down the list. DHS says that it is constantly being reviewed and that it can be changed at any time.

The list was released as part of an executive order by President Donald Trump requiring the DHS publish a list of areas that are deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws. The listed areas could lose access to federal funding like grants and contracts if they don’t comply with the law.

The move was immediately met with confusion, criticism and even litigation in some areas.

Rochester, for example, announced Monday it will be joining a lawsuit by the city of San Francisco against the Trump administration for withholding federal funding for being a sanctuary city. In Syracuse, which is considered a “welcoming city” and is not a sanctuary city, officials are confused as to why it’s on the list.

“We’re a proud refugee resettlement community, we want people to feel safe here, but the reality is the Syracuse Police Department does not enforce federal immigration law,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said. “Again, to my knowledge, they never have. That hasn’t changed. And that includes during the first Trump administration, so what changed between then and now, I’m not really clear.”

The National Sheriff’s Association also expressed frustration with the list, saying it lacks transparency and accountability.  

“This list was created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to object to the designation,” the association wrote in a statement. “Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label.”

“This is an unfortunate and unnecessary erosion of unity and collaboration with law enforcement and the enforcement of the rule of law at a time when that unity is needed most. This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome,” the statement said.

Rochester and Syracuse are just two of the dozen cities and 15 counties originally named on that list that are waiting to see if it will be reposted, and what that mean for their communities going forward.

The Department of Homeland Security did say in a statement: “The list is constantly being reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly.”