Included on the Trump administration’s list of jurisdictions it alleges are violating federal immigration law is a bit of a head-scratcher: Huntington Beach.
The city was included in a lengthy list published by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, May 29, of cities, counties and states that it said 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,” the department said in a news release.
But Huntington Beach’s conservative City Council has notably bucked many California mandates — and that includes earlier this year approving a resolution declaring itself a “non-sanctuary city,” a move in direct opposition to state immigration law, which limits resources from assisting federal immigration enforcement officials.
Mayor Pat Burns said the city’s inclusion is wrong, with many jurisdictions incorrectly listed or not listed.
“Somebody put that out without doing their homework,” Burns said. “It’s a negligent report. It’s not even close. If they did one city, oops, people make mistakes. But now I’m finding that Las Vegas … they were inaccurate with them. They are inaccurate with Santa Ana, which is the polar opposite of Huntington Beach.”
Burns said there is no change with Huntington Beach’s declaration as a non-sanctuary city. He said he’s reached out to DHS to get the city’s status set right.
When asked about Huntington Beach’s inclusion Friday morning, a DHS spokesperson said: “Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a sanctuary jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens.”
“The list is actively reviewed, will be regularly updated, and can be changed at any time,” the spokesperson said. “President Trump and Secretary Noem have been clear: sanctuary jurisdictions should immediately cease violation of federal law and cooperate with law enforcement.”
Santa Ana reaffirmed its commitment to protecting residents, regardless of immigration status, in February. In 2016, it became the first city in Orange County to declare itself a sanctuary city.
Santa Ana officials are also considering a new policy that would require the city to publicly share any alerts it receives from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about planned activity in the area.
The proposal, brought forward by Councilmembers Johnathan Hernandez and Benjamin Vazquez, would require the Police Department to post details from ICE alerts, including the time, location and nature of the enforcement, online within 48 hours, in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. But some councilmembers had concerns about whether publishing the alerts would expose the city to legal or financial risks and asked their staff for some more analysis before they consider the proposed policy.
As Burns noted, Las Vegas was included on the list, the only jurisdiction in Nevada on it. Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo have both pushed back on that designation, with the governor’s office saying in a social media post that the city “is working to quickly resolve this incorrect categorization with the Department of Homeland Security.”
Other Southern California cities included on the list are Culver City, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Pasadena, Palm Springs and San Diego. All but 10 counties in California were included; Orange County is among the 10 not listed.
“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “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.”