By Claire Wang
Staff Writer
The Department of Justice’s new list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” which the Trump administration alleges are violating federal immigration law contains a major correction: conservative Huntington Beach no longer appears.
The updated list, published Tuesday, Aug. 5, includes 35 states, cities and counties identified as having laws or policies that obstruct federal immigration authorities and “put American citizens at risk by design,” according to the news release.
In May, Huntington Beach was confusingly added to a lengthy Department of Homeland Security list of sanctuary cities — just a few months after the City Council resolutely declared itself a “non-sanctuary city.” That pronouncement is contrary to state law that restricts local law enforcement from using resources to assist immigration enforcement.
The list was later removed from the DHS website. Las Vegas, another city incorrectly listed on the DHS list, also does not appear on the new Justice Department list.
Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns said he appreciated the Justice Department setting the record straight.
“Federal immigration laws ought to be enforced and held up,” he said. “We’re a conservative, law-abiding, patriotic city.”
Burns argued the “sanctuary” designation has been exploited by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who wields it, Burns said, for “political gain” and “not in service” to constituents.
The Justice Department list still contains incongruities, including the omission of Santa Ana, the only city in Orange County to declare its own sanctuary status.
A half dozen other Southern California cities included on the previous DHS list — Culver City, Long Beach, Malibu, Pasadena, Palm Springs and San Diego — do not appear on the newly released Department of Justice list.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It said in its press release that the list is not final and “will be updated as federal authorities gather further information.”