Albany County Legislature Statement on Sanctuary Jurisdictions List

After the Trump Administration issued its list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" on Friday, May 30, which was subsequently removed from the Department of Homeland Security's website on Sunday, June 1, Chair of the Albany County Legislature's Law Committee Jeffrey D. Kuhn released the following statement:

When the Trump Administration's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued its list of purported "Sanctuary Jurisdictions Defying Federal Immigration Law" - Albany County, the City of Albany, and the entirety of New York State were on the list (14 other New York counties and 11 other cities were on the list as well).

The Trump DHS asserted that the hundreds of supposed "sanctuary jurisdictions" on its list "are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities."

However, the DHS's statement was legally and factually baseless.

The DHS did not identify a single federal immigration law that Albany County has ever "defied" or otherwise violated. Nor did the DHS cite a single instance where any Albany County official obstructed "the enforcement of federal immigration laws."

The DHS's statement claimed that "each jurisdiction listed will receive formal notification of its non-compliance with Federal statutes." When and if this "formal notification" is ever actually dispatched to Albany County, it will almost certainly not contain a single example of Albany County violating federal statutes or regulations.

Unlike the Trump Administration, Albany County believes in the rule of law.

It is the Trump Administration, not Albany County, that is "deliberately and shamefully" violating federal immigration law, including flouting court orders and wrongfully deporting U.S. citizens.

It is the Trump Administration that is illegally relying on the 1798 Alien Enemies Act as a basis to deport immigrants from nations the U.S. is not at war with, without due process.

Albany County will continue to protect its citizens and comply with all federal, state, and local laws, including those concerning immigration.