DOJ Lists 35 Sanctuary Jurisdictions to Force Immigration Compliance

The United States Department of Justice published a revised list of 35 sanctuary jurisdictions on August 5, 2025, identifying 13 states, 18 cities, and four counties that allegedly obstruct federal immigration laws. This action follows an April executive order by President Donald Trump titled "Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens," which directed the identification of jurisdictions defying federal law to support mass deportation efforts.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated that sanctuary policies "impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design," vowing that the department will pursue litigation to "eradicate these harmful policies." The revised list is significantly smaller than a previous May version published by the Department of Homeland Security, which included over 500 localities and was retracted after being labeled error-prone. The current list targets primarily Democratic-led areas, including California, New York, and Washington, as well as cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Local officials have largely rejected the designations. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong called the criteria a "concocted fiction," while Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell dismissed the move as "political theater with no teeth." In Nevada, Governor Joe Lombardo and Attorney General Aaron Ford both refuted the label, though they traded accusations over the state's actual policies. While the Justice Department has already filed suits against New York City and Los Angeles, a judge in Illinois recently dismissed a similar lawsuit against Chicago. The administration has threatened to withhold federal grants from noncompliant jurisdictions, though some reports indicate the current DOJ list focuses on litigation rather than immediate funding cuts.