WASHINGTON | A widely anticipated list of ” sanctuary jurisdictions” no longer appears on the Department of Homeland Security’s website after receiving widespread criticism for including localities that have actively supported the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies.
Aurora was on the list for one day last week, while two of the city’s overlapping counties remained on the list until it was taken down.
The department last week published the list of the jurisdictions. It said each one would receive formal notification the government deemed them uncooperative with federal immigration enforcement and whether they’re believed to be in violation of any federal criminal statutes.
The list was published Thursday on the department’s website but on Sunday there was a “Page Not Found” error message in its place.
The list was part of the Trump administration’s efforts to target communities, states and jurisdictions that it says aren’t doing enough to help its immigration enforcement agenda and the promises the president made to deport more than 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal authorization.
The list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly, a DHS senior official 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 official said in a statement.
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.”
The list, which was riddled with misspellings, received pushback from officials in communities spanning from urban to rural and blue to red who said the list doesn’t appear to make sense. Among those critical of the list were Aurora and local counties.
Aurora was on and off the Trump administration list in a day, and a local city lawmaker said on a social media post she intervened to make it happen.
“I understand that Aurora was originally listed as a sanctuary city,” Jurinsky said in a social media post Friday morning. “The Department of Homeland Security has made an update and Aurora has been removed from the list. I appreciate the communication and help I received in making this happen.”
Jurinsky did not respond to requests for comment.
City officials repeated past statements that Aurora lawmakers have passed resolutions affirming that the city refutes the label of being a “sanctuary city.”
“The Aurora City Council affirmed that in a vote in 2017 and then again in February 2024,” city spokesperson Ryan Luby said in a statement Friday. “As we always have, we work with our federal partners and follow federal law and directives as they apply to our community. Nothing has changed.”
When asked Friday why and how Aurora was removed from the list, Homeland Security officials would say only that it is subject to regular revision.
“”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,” a senior spokesperson for Homeland Security said in a statement. “The list is actively reviewed, will be regularly updated, and can be changed at any time.”
The State of Colorado and Denver, as well as two of Aurora’s overlying counties, were on Trump’s list. Most other Colorado counties are as well across the state.
“Colorado is not a sanctuary state, despite this completely incorrect designation by DHS,” Gov. Jared Polis spokesperson Eric Maruyama said in a statement Thursday evening. “Colorado and its cities and counties prioritize public safety, and local and state law enforcement work closely with federal law enforcement to apprehend dangerous criminals, whether they are from this country or not. We cannot comment further as DHS did not provide information as to how the determination of states, counties, and cities were made.”
Jurinsky has claimed in past public meetings to have ties to the Trump administration. In October, she appeared at an Trump campaign rally at the Gaylord Hotel in Aurora in support of Trump’s push against Venezuelan gang immigrants, which he falsely claimed have overrun the city and much of Colorado. Trump announced there that a nationwide mass deportation campaign would be called “Operation Aurora.”
For weeks, Trump repeated and promoted false claims that immigrants in Ohio were eating dogs and cats, and that Aurora was overwhelmed by immigrants.
Aurora police have walked a fine line saying that they cooperate with federal immigration officials in detaining immigrants suspected of crimes, but that police do not and would not ask anyone about immigration status when encountering people in public during the course of their work.
The department on Thursday published a list of the jurisdictions and said each one will receive formal notification that the government has deemed them noncompliant and if they’re believed to be in violation of any federal criminal statutes. The list was published on the department’s website.
Arapahoe County officials said it has received no notification of the list.
“We are unclear as to why Arapahoe County appears on this list, as we comply with federal laws and uphold both the U.S. and Colorado Constitutions,” Arapahoe County spokesperson Jill McGranahan said in a statement. “Until we receive more information or official guidance from DHS, it would be inappropriate for us to speculate or provide further comment.”
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