As of October 2025, Nevada is the only state known to have formally and publicly taken action to revoke its status as a sanctuary jurisdiction in 2025. Multiple other localities were removed from a federal list of sanctuary jurisdictions due to errors or a demonstrated willingness to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
States
- Nevada: In September 2025, Nevada entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Justice to collaborate on immigration enforcement. The DOJ, in turn, removed the state from its list of sanctuary jurisdictions.
Cities and counties removed
from federal lists in 2025
It is important to note that
the following localities did not necessarily "revoke" a sanctuary
status, but were removed from federal lists after showing they did not fit the
criteria or clarifying their policies. The federal lists themselves received
significant criticism for inaccuracy.
- Aurora, Colorado: The city's name was
removed from a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) list in June 2025
after officials objected. The city had previously declared it was not a
sanctuary city in 2017.
- Georgia localities: In August 2025,
the DOJ removed all Georgia localities from its list of sanctuary
jurisdictions. The previous DHS list from May 2025 included Atlanta,
Athens, and the counties of DeKalb, Fulton, Douglas, and Athens-Clarke.
- Oakland County, Michigan: After being incorrectly placed on a DHS list in May 2025, county officials stated they were not a sanctuary jurisdiction and were removed from the list.
Context on federal lists of
"sanctuary" jurisdictions in 2025
- In May 2025, the DHS released a list of
over 500 alleged sanctuary jurisdictions, which was criticized for
inaccuracy and was eventually taken down from its website.
- In August 2025, the DOJ published a
separate, more limited list of jurisdictions considered to be obstructing
federal immigration law. This list was later revised.
- The lists were published in response to a presidential executive order directing federal agencies to identify non-cooperative jurisdictions and potentially withhold federal funding.
The only jurisdiction that appears to have revoked its sanctuary policy in 2025 is the city of Louisville, Kentucky. According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) announcement in August 2025, Louisville's mayor agreed to revoke the city's policies after receiving a letter from the DOJ.
In May 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published and then quickly removed a list of hundreds of jurisdictions it claimed were violating federal immigration law, but the list was widely criticized for inaccuracies. Following this, the Department of Justice issued its own list in August, which included fewer jurisdictions but also focused on those considered uncooperative with federal immigration authorities.
Legal and political context
- In 2025, the Trump administration took a
renewed stance against sanctuary jurisdictions through legal action and
public lists.
- An April 2025 Executive Order directed
federal agencies to identify and publicly highlight jurisdictions with
policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
- The lists published by both DHS and DOJ drew lawsuits and criticism, with some jurisdictions arguing the lists were politically motivated or inaccurate.
Jurisdictions facing legal
action in 2025
- New York City was sued by the DOJ in July
over its sanctuary policies.
- The administration also filed lawsuits
against policies in other cities, including Los Angeles, Denver, and
Rochester, New York, and four cities in New Jersey.
- A federal judge in Illinois dismissed a
lawsuit against Chicago in July.
- In September, a federal judge in California temporarily blocked the administration from withholding FEMA and counterterrorism funds from dozens of jurisdictions.
Comments
The Trump Administration is legally and patiently slogging through the litigation. At some point, the Supreme Court will weigh in.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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