Kristi Noem’s attempt to crack down on so-called “sanctuary cities” has blown up in her face. Her Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was forced to take down a list of cities and counties it accused of protecting undocumented immigrants — after fierce backlash from law enforcement, including allies of Donald Trump.
Last week, Noem proudly unveiled the list, accusing dozens of jurisdictions of “endangering Americans” by refusing to help enforce federal immigration laws. “These sanctuary cities are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” Noem said, according to The Daily Beast.
Her DHS warned that those on the list would be sent “formal notice of non-compliance and all potential violations of federal criminal statutes.”
But the announcement immediately sparked a revolt — not from liberal cities, but from the very people Noem thought would be on her side. The National Sheriffs’ Association, a longtime pro-Trump group, ripped the list as baseless and “arbitrary.”
“DHS has done a terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country,” said Sheriff Kieran Donahue of Canyon County, Idaho, president of the association. “The President’s goals to reduce crime, secure the Borders, and make America safer have taken a step backward. The sheriffs of this country feel betrayed.”
According to the sheriffs’ group, DHS created the list without input from local law enforcement, without clear criteria, and with no way for jurisdictions to appeal or even understand how they got on it in the first place.
The list didn’t just name well-known sanctuary cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago — it also included jurisdictions that had never adopted sanctuary policies at all. That only added to the confusion and anger.
During a closed-door meeting with DHS officials over the weekend, law enforcement leaders demanded answers. Nobody from DHS could say who put the list together, who verified it, or how it was reviewed, the sheriffs said in a statement.
DHS tried to defend itself. A senior official told The Daily Beast the list is “constantly reviewed” and based on factors like a city’s self-identification as a sanctuary, failure to share information with federal immigration authorities, or policies that shield undocumented immigrants.
But law enforcement leaders weren’t buying it.
“The list violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement,” the National Sheriffs’ Association said. “This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome.”
Noem, however, doubled down, blaming the cities. “Some of the cities have pushed back,” she 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.”
Still, the damage was done. After the revolt from law enforcement — the very people this policy was supposed to support — DHS was forced to pull the list.
