{"id":21987,"date":"2025-05-31T11:38:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T17:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-la-plata-county-included-on-trumps-list-of-sanctuary-jurisdictions\/"},"modified":"2025-05-31T17:38:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T17:38:57","slug":"durango-la-plata-county-included-on-trumps-list-of-sanctuary-jurisdictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-la-plata-county-included-on-trumps-list-of-sanctuary-jurisdictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango, La Plata County included on Trump\u2019s list of \u2018sanctuary jurisdictions\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Homeland
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem salutes as she arrives at the commencement for the United States Coast Guard Academy, Wednesday, May 21, 2025 in New London, Conn. (AP Photo\/Jessica Hill)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Jessica Hill)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Officials in communities from rural to urban and red to blue blasted the Trump administration\u2019s list of \u201csanctuary jurisdictions\u201d with many saying they\u2019ve been outspoken supporters of the president and his stringent immigration policies.<\/p>\n

Dozens of Colorado cities and counties made the list, including Durango and La Plata County \u2013 neither of which have ever declared themselves a sanctuary jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

The list was published<\/a> Thursday on the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s website but on Sunday there was a \u201cPage Not Found\u201d error message in its place, indicating the list had been removed from the department\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Officials who back President Donald Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown questioned how their jurisdictions wound up on a list of more than 500 that the Department of Homeland Security says are obstructing enforcement. Several communities were misspelled, including Cincinnati, which was spelled Cincinnatti. Also, some counties were mislabeled as cities and some cities as counties.<\/p>\n

Jim Davel, administrator for Shawano County, Wisconsin, said the inclusion of his community must be a clerical error. Davel voted for Trump as did 67% of Shawano County.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no idea how we got on this list whatsoever right at this point,\u201d Davel said. \u201cI think it was just a big mix up, probably some paperwork or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davel thinks the administration may have confused the county\u2019s vote in 2021 to become a \u201cSecond Amendment Sanctuary County\u201d that prohibits gun control measures with it being a safe haven for immigrants. He said the county has approved no immigration sanctuary policies.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, those with policies protecting immigrants also pushed back, saying they are doing right by their communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is simply the latest attempt by the Trump administration to strong-arm cities like Seattle into changing our local policies through bluster and threats to critical federal funding for public safety and homelessness,\u201d Bruce Harrell, the city\u2019s mayor, told The Associated Press in an email. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to work \u2013 the law is on our side \u2013 and we will not hesitate to protect our people and stand up for our values.\u201d<\/p>\n

The list was published as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to follow through on the president\u2019s campaign promises to remove millions of people who are in the country illegally. It came out as Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced major leadership changes, and after a White House official said the administration wanted to drive daily immigration arrests significantly higher.<\/p>\n

The administration has said each jurisdiction on the list will receive formal notification that the government has deemed them noncompliant and if they\u2019re believed to be in violation of any federal criminal statutes.<\/p>\n

A message was left Friday seeking comment from DHS.<\/p>\n

Some communities don\u2019t know why they were included<\/div>\n

The list was compiled using a number of factors, including whether the localities identified themselves as sanctuary jurisdictions, how much they complied with federal officials enforcing immigration laws, if they had restrictions on sharing information with immigration enforcement or had any legal protections for people in the country illegally, according to Homeland Security.<\/p>\n

Neither Durango nor La Plata County has declared itself sanctuary jurisdictions. In fact, the city of Durango passed a resolution in 2015<\/a> stating it \u201cis not now nor ever has been a sanctuary city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCouncil was very clear about this in their 2015 resolution,\u201d said city spokesman Tom Sluis.<\/p>\n

However, the Durango Police Department and the La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office have largely taken a hands-off approach<\/a> to enforcement of immigration laws, saying it is a federal matter. Sheriff Sean Smith has cited a state law that prohibits local governments from housing inmates on behalf of federal immigration authorities.<\/p>\n

Both agencies have said they want people who lack permanent legal status to view local law enforcement as a public safety resource, not a threat to their immigration status. That way, if someone is a victim or a witness to a crime \u2013 such as domestic violence \u2013 that person can feel free to report it without fear of being deported.<\/p>\n

Some communities said the list doesn\u2019t appear to make sense. In California\u2019s Orange County, the city of Huntington Beach is on the list even though it has sued the state over its policies that protect immigrants and its City Council supports Trump. But the nearby city of Santa Ana, which has policies to protect members of its sizable immigrant community, is not.<\/p>\n

In North Dakota, seven mostly small, rural counties wound up on the list, including Slope County, which has about 700 people and overwhelmingly voted for Trump in 2024. County officials reached out to Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong\u2019s office to see what steps to take next, and plan to discuss the matter next week with the county state\u2019s attorney, County Commission Chairman Scott Ouradnik said.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Thompson, executive director and CEO of the National Sheriffs\u2019 Association, called the list \u201cfatally flawed\u201d and criticized the lack of transparency and clear criteria for inclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlaming and shaming people without fact is a distraction. It\u2019s a mistake, it\u2019s an error, it\u2019s wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Weld County was on the list before it was removed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeld County did not receive formal notification of any non-compliance with federal statutes nor does the board consider Weld County to be a \u2018sanctuary county\u2019 for the purpose of protecting illegal immigrants,\u201d the county said in a news release.<\/p>\n

Other communities defend their policies that protect immigrants<\/div>\n

Communities supportive of immigrants said their policies aren\u2019t just about immigrants but all residents by ensuring anyone who is a victim or witness feels they can come forward and report crime. States including California, Illinois and Washington, which have such policies, are on the list.<\/p>\n

In Hartford, Connecticut, Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said the capital city\u2019s laws and policies have enhanced the vibrancy and safety of the community. The city bars people\u2019s immigration status from being used to deny city services and police can\u2019t arrest people solely because of immigration status.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile my administration remains laser-focused on real solutions that protect our community, it is clear that current federal policies do not share this commitment to safety and threaten to undermine the gains we have made,\u201d Arulampalam said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Boulder County celebrated the designation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf being a \u2018sanctuary jurisdiction\u2019 means that we support due process of law and human rights, then we are proud of that moniker,\u201d the county\u2019s commissioners said in a written statement. \u201cWe act within the confines of the law and provide due process for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nithya Nathan-Pineau, an attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said it\u2019s not clear what criteria were used to formulate the list or define the concept of sanctuary nor what legal action the government plans to take against the jurisdictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems quite arbitrary because not all of these states or specific jurisdictions have a policy that limits cooperation with ICE,\u201d Nathan-Pineau said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty clear that this is another attempt to intimidate and bully.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Center for Immigration Studies, which supports limits on immigration, has kept its own list of sanctuary jurisdictions for at least a decade that it updates frequently. It differs from the administration\u2019s. Jessica Vaughan, the group\u2019s director of policy studies, questioned what documentation the administration used for its list.<\/p>\n

What is a sanctuary jurisdiction?<\/div>\n

There\u2019s no clear definition of what a sanctuary jurisdiction is, but the term generally applies to state and local governments that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. It originated in the 1980s with U.S. churches that housed Central Americans who fled civil wars.<\/p>\n

Last month, Trump signed an executive order requiring the secretary of Homeland Security and the attorney general to publish a list of states and local jurisdictions that they considered to be obstructing federal immigration laws. The list is to be regularly updated.<\/p>\n

Federal departments and agencies, working with the Office of Management and Budget, would then be tasked with identifying federal grants or contracts with those states or local jurisdictions that the federal government identified as \u201csanctuary jurisdictions\u201d and suspending or terminating the money, according to the executive order.<\/p>\n

ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, enforces immigration laws nationwide. The agency often seeks state and local help in alerting federal authorities of immigrants wanted for deportation and holding them until those authorities are able to take custody.<\/p>\n

Colorado counties on the list<\/div>\n
Adams CountyArapahoe CountyBaca CountyBent CountyBoulder CountyBroomfield CountyChaffee CountyCheyenne CountyClear Creek CountyConejos CountyCostilla CountyCuster CountyDenver CountyEagle CountyGarfield CountyGilpin CountyGunnison CountyHuerfano CountyJefferson CountyKiowa CountyKit Carson CountyLa Plata CountyLake CountyLarimer CountyLas Animas CountyLincoln CountyLogan CountyMorgan CountyOtero CountyPark CountyPitkin CountyProwers CountyPueblo CountyRio Grande CountySaguache CountySan Miguel CountySummit CountyWashington CountyYuma County<\/div>\n
Colorado cities on the list<\/div>\n
BoulderDurangoFort CollinsDenverLafayetteLakewoodLongmontNorthglennAvonBasaltCarbondaleDillonEagleVail<\/div>\n

Taxin reported from Santa Ana, California, and Bellisle from Seattle. Associated Press writers Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Gisela Salomon in Miami; John O\u2019Connor in Springfield, Illinois; Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas; and Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed. Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Paul contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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