A much-ridiculed report put out last week by the United States Department of Homeland Security that listed sanctuary jurisdictions that are reportedly “obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws” disappeared from a government website over the weekend.
The list included Augusta County, which Trump won in November with more than 73% of the vote.
“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.”
The list was made in response to an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump on April 28.
Nearly two dozen jurisdictions in Virginia appeared on the list, prompting a response from senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA).
“This list is further proof that the Trump administration’s obsession with government efficiency is nothing but cheap talk. The White House should get its basic facts straight before attempting to come after Virginia’s localities and its hardworking public servants,” Warner said.
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“The list is riddled with egregious errors—Martinsville isn’t a county and Duffield isn’t a city,” said Kaine. “Coupled with the Department of Health and Human Services’ report this week that cites nonexistent studies, I’m concerned that the Administration is turning to artificial intelligence to replace the work of dedicated civil servants that are being fired. This is yet another reminder of why it’s important that agencies be staffed by experts, because putting inaccurate information out only sows chaos and confusion, and puts commonsense solutions to real problems further out of reach.”
Augusta County officials released a statement that said, “Augusta County is aware of its inclusion on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) list of sanctuary jurisdictions. The County was not contacted by any federal agency prior to the list’s publication. To the best of our knowledge, Augusta County is not a sanctuary jurisdiction. We are currently reaching out to our representatives to seek clarification regarding this designation. Augusta County cooperates with and adheres to federal laws. Augusta County’s foremost priority remains the safety and well-being of Augusta County residents.”
Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith said, “Augusta County is aware of its placement on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) list of sanctuary jurisdictions. The County received no advance notification or request for information from any federal agencies prior to the publication of this list. To our knowledge, Augusta County is not considered a sanctuary jurisdiction by either the County or the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office. At this time, we are contacting federal partners to seek clarification on the criteria used to include our locality on this list. The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office fully intends to cooperate with federal agencies when criminal warrants related to immigration are issued. The enforcement of immigration law is the responsibility of federal agencies. For the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, the safety and well-being of county residents remains the top priority.”
The list initially appeared here on the DHS website.
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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at [email protected]. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: DHS lists Augusta County as sanctuary jurisdiction
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