As Nashville continues to see national attention amidst pushback by local government officials against immigration enforcement efforts, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has now placed the city on a registry of what they are calling “Sanctuary Jurisdictions” deemed to be deliberately obstructing immigration enforcement and putting Americans at risk.
On May 29, the DHS released a comprehensive list of “Sanctuary Jurisdictions Defying Federal Immigration Law” which they state “undermine the rule of law and endanger the lives of Americans and Law Enforcement.”
The list is a result of Executive Order (EO) 14287 which requires the publishing of a list of states and local jurisdictions, including cities and counties, “that are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws, endangering American communities. Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril.”
According to DHS, a jurisdiction’s appearance on the list is determined by factors like legal protections for illegal aliens, information restrictions, and compliance with federal law enforcement. Both the city of Nashville and Shelby County, which houses the city of Memphis, made the list for Tennessee.
