DHS List Names Cambridge, Boston Among 200 Sanctuary Cities It Says Are Obstructing Immigration Enforcement

Cambridge and Boston are among the hundreds of sanctuary cities nationwide that the Department of Homeland Security accused of defying federal law on a list designed to expose localities that the Trump administration says are obstructing its immigration crackdown.

The DHS released a Friday statement identifying more than 200 sanctuary cities and counties in 36 states that it said were defying federal immigration law.

“Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal illegal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in grave danger,” the statement reads.

Each locality will be formally notified of its non-compliance and potential violations of federal law. Cambridge has not yet received notice from the DHS, according to a Friday afternoon statement from City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05.

The DHS announcement comes as the response to an April executive order directing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and the Attorney General Pam Bondi to “publicly highlight” jurisdictions that “refuse to cooperate” with federal immigration enforcement.

Noncompliant jurisdictions will be ordered to immediately review and revise their policies to “align with federal immigration laws” and will be required to “renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens,” according to the statement.

Cambridge adopted a sanctuary city ordinance — which limits the police department’s cooperation with federal law enforcement on immigration matters — in 1985. Boston adopted a similar policy in 2014. Many sanctuary cities, including Cambridge, also maintain policies against routinely inquiring about residents’ immigration status.

Sanctuary city policies have generally been considered lawful — though the first Trump administration attempted to pull federal funding from Cambridge and hundreds of other sanctuary cities, eventually losing in court. Federal law does not require localities to assist with civil immigration enforcement, though they are prohibited from blocking immigration arrests.

Both Cambridge and Boston have continued to see an uptick in activity from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in recent weeks, even without assistance from local police.

Cambridge saw its first confirmed ICE arrest earlier this month. Though the Cambridge Police Department refused to cooperate with federal agents, ICE arrested a woman shortly after she was released from the department’s custody, according to a statement from CPD spokesperson Robert P. Reardon.

“As a Welcoming Community, we do not support this federal administration’s approach to immigration enforcement, which is detaining community members without due process — a fundamental pillar of the United States Constitution and legal system,” Huang wrote in a Friday statement.

Residents in Boston’s Allston-Brighton neighborhood have taken to social media to report heightened ICE presence over the past month. Still, ICE has kept much of its activity in Boston tight-lipped — repeatedly refusing to confirm or deny reports of activity, citing officer safety.

ICE arrests in neighboring cities have sparked outrage and fear among residents. The ICE arrest of a woman in Worcester earlier this month drew backlash as bystanders protested her detainment. A mid-May arrest in Waltham drew national media attention after ICE agents were filmed breaking the window to a man’s car. And across the state, reports of ICE activity have flared.

The DHS announcement also took aim at elected officials representing the “lawless” localities it identified.

“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,” Noem, the DHS Secretary, wrote in the announcement.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 was one of four Democratic mayors who testified before a congressional committee over its immigration policies in March.

The DHS announcement notes that the list of noncompliant jurisdictions “can be reviewed and changed at any time and will be updated regularly.”

—Staff writer Matan H. Josephy can be reached matan.josephy@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @matanjosephy.

—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart.