The list including the City of Alexandria as a “Sanctuary Jurisdiction,” has been removed from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) website.
President Donald J. Trump’s administration initially published the list, which included hundreds of communities across thirty-five states and the District of Columbia, on Thursday (May 29). At some point over the weekend, the list was unpublished from the website. The list included multiple errors, like listing localities multiple times, and incorrectly listing towns with small populations as cities.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins said that the city has not received any official communication from DHS that it was on the list or that the list was taken down.
“DHS did not provide any information regarding the criteria used to compile the list, any sources or research used for the designation, or response to local governments seeking clarification,” Gaskins told ALXnow. “As a result, they published a list that was wrong and mischaracterized cities like ours. We follow the law and uphold the constitutional and civil rights of our residents.”
Alexandria’s Congressman Don Beyer (D-8th) didn’t mince words in his criticism of the Trump administration.
“This list is just more boneheaded incompetence from the Trump administration, which is more intent on using immigration enforcxement to generate headlines than to support our communities or keep people safe. They couldn’t even accurately identify cities correctly, and I’m inclined to agree with Sen. Tim Kaine that they may have used artificial intelligence to generate their ridiculous list.”
A press release announcing the publication of a list of sanctuary jurisdictions is still available on the website:
DHS Exposes Sanctuary Jurisdictions Defying Federal Immigration Law
Sanctuary jurisdictions undermine the rule of law and endanger the lives of Americans and Law Enforcement
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a comprehensive list of sanctuary jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens. Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal illegal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in grave danger. This action follows the signing of an Executive Order by President Donald J. Trump on April 28, 2025. The order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and the Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify and publicly highlight jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
DHS is committed to exposing these lawless jurisdictions to the public and making them accountable for not respecting the rule of law.
“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law. President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law.”
Each jurisdiction listed will receive formal notification of its non-compliance and all potential violations of federal criminal statutes. DHS demands that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens.
Alexandria City Council Member Canek Aguirre said that the administration’s claims were baseless.
“Their claims that Alexandria has in any way endangered the lives of our residents or surrounding neighbors is completely baseless, totally fake news,” Aguirre said. “We don’t stand with dictators and those trying to take away our constitutional rights. We stand by our values, democracy and the rule of law.”
City Council Member John Taylor Chapman said that the city complies with the law.
“Here’s another example of this administration not understanding that states and localities are following the law as written, and not the president’s own personal rules,” Chapman said.
The page where the list had been published had stated, “Executive Order 14287: Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens requires that a list of states and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws (sanctuary jurisdictions) be published. Sanctuary jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities. Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril”.
According to what was published by the DHS last week, the list was created to “identify sanctuary jurisdictions, which are determined by factors like compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions, and legal protections for illegal aliens.”
“Each jurisdiction listed will receive formal notification of its non-compliance with Federal statutes,” according to DHS. “DHS demands that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with Federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens.”
In a statement on Thursday (May 29), Gaskins said:
“We are a community guided by compassion, the rule of law, and our unwavering commitment to the well-being and safety of all our residents.
There is no universally agreed upon or legal definition of a sanctuary city. Tonight’s action by the federal government wrongly targets and mischaracterizes Alexandria and dismisses core principles that make up the foundation of our democracy.
Here in Alexandria, we govern by facts and our values. The City of Alexandria is committed to upholding the constitutional and civil rights of all people, regardless of their immigration status.
Alexandria is—and always will be—a welcoming city. We are proud of our diversity, and we are stronger because of it. “
ALXnow has reached out to DHS for comment, as well as the city to determine whether Alexandria is still considered a sanctuary jurisdiction.
James Cullum contributed to this story
