The Department of Homeland Security’s sanctuary jurisdiction list has sparked significant debate, raising questions about its accuracy and the implications for various communities. A glaring example of this is my own hometown, Orange County. The only city from O.C. included on the list is Huntington Beach—a city known for its all-Republican council that has actively sued the state of California for its sanctuary policies. In January, Huntington Beach declared itself a “non-sanctuary” community and even plans to erect a plaque outside its main library featuring a MAGA acrostic. In stark contrast, Santa Ana, a city that has long been associated with undocumented immigrants and declared itself a sanctuary city back in 2016, is conspicuously absent from the list. Santa Ana has also established a deportation defense fund to support its residents.
Furthermore, the inaccuracies in this list are both laughable and alarming. For instance, Livingston, which became the first city in California’s Central Valley to declare itself a sanctuary for immigrants in 2017, is not mentioned at all. Meanwhile, Santee, a city in San Diego County notorious for its racist reputation—nicknamed “Klantee” by locals—is included. Another puzzling entry is Represa, which is not even a city but merely a post office serving Folsom State Prison and California State Prison, Sacramento—locations that are hardly known for their sanctuary policies.
Shortly after Donald Trump’s inauguration, he signed an executive order titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” This directive, among other things, stipulated that sanctuary jurisdictions would no longer receive federal funding. However, the list released on May 29th, which purported to identify these jurisdictions, was so riddled with mistakes that it was removed from the Homeland Security website within days—and has yet to reappear. The compilation of this list seemed hastily thrown together, resembling a careless Google search for “sanctuary” followed by city names, with no verification against reliable sources like Wikipedia.
The backlash from politicians has been swift and, at times, humorous. Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns appeared on KCAL News, criticizing the inclusion of his city as “pure negligence,” all while holding a small bust of Donald Trump. Vista Mayor John Franklin, who voted in support of the Trump administration’s previous lawsuit against California’s sanctuary law, speculated that Vista was mistakenly included due to confusion with Chula Vista, another city that is also on the list but not a sanctuary city. The mix-up reflects a deeper misunderstanding of the very policies the list is intended to represent.
On the other end of the political spectrum, Rep. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) advised Santa Ana officials to maintain a low profile regarding their sanctuary city status, suggesting that avoiding attention might shield them from the unpredictable actions of the Trump administration. This situation highlights the chaotic nature of immigration policy under Trump, which has been characterized by a tendency to act swiftly and without regard for established protocols, leading to numerous errors.
Trump’s immigration agenda has been marked by a sense of urgency that often results in substantial errors, such as wrongful deportations and the disregard for judicial orders. The current administration has even been known to transfer immigrants to countries where they have no connections, raising ethical concerns. Furthermore, immigration agents are now targeting locations traditionally considered safe havens, such as schools and places of worship, intensifying the fear within immigrant communities.
Despite rising deportation rates, they still do not match the levels seen during the Obama and Biden administrations, nor do they approach the scale of Operation Wetback from the Eisenhower era. The team behind Trump’s immigration policies, including Homeland Security head Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, has openly criticized ICE officials for not meeting the administration's aggressive deportation goals. The flawed sanctuary list is emblematic of this chaotic approach, demonstrating a disregard for human lives and constitutional rights. When approached for clarification on the inaccuracies of the list and its removal, Homeland Security provided a vague statement indicating that the list is under constant review and may change, yet it seems to lack a commitment to accuracy.
