Oh Whoops, Riverside County In Crosshairs Of Trump Administration

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA ? Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is a Trump supporter and gubernatorial candidate, has vowed to fight California's immigration "sanctuary state law." So it was a surprise late last week when the county found itself on a Trump administration list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" that are allegedly defying federal immigration law.

San Bernardino County also found itself on the list, as did the city of Huntington Beach, the latter of which filed a lawsuit challenging California?s sanctuary law and passed a resolution declaring the community a "non-sanctuary city."

The Department of Homeland Security list, which included dozens of cities and counties across 37 states and the District of Columbia, was criticized by several local officials who wondered why their jurisdictions were being targeted. Many of the befuddled leaders represent red areas that backed President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

The backlash from the apparently ill-devised DHS list prompted the Trump administration to take action. On Sunday, DHS removed the list from its website. A "Page Not Found" message now appears on the site.

Despite repeated criticism, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem did not issue a statement about how the list was compiled.

Over the weekend, the National Sheriffs' Association President Sheriff Kieran Donahue accused DHS of lacking transparency and accountability in how the list was put together.

"This list was created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to object to the designation. Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label," Donahue said. "This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome."

Riverside and San Bernardino counties rejected the notion that they are sanctuary jurisdictions.

"The County of Riverside is not a sanctuary county," county spokesperson Brooke Federico told the San Bernardino Sun on Friday. "On February 4, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution proclaiming the county to be a vibrant, compassionate, and welcoming county for all law-abiding immigrants and refugees."

San Bernardino County offered a similar statement.

"We have not legally declared ourselves as such by adopting policies that preclude the county from enforcing federal immigration laws, inquiring as to an individual?s immigration status, or cooperating with federal immigration authorities,? county spokesperson David Wert told the Sun.

Wert said that San Bernardino County complies with state and federal immigration laws and does not provide assistance to undocumented immigrants beyond what is required under the laws.

It's difficult to understand why DHS, under Noem's leadership, would target conservative-leaning communities like Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

It appears the list was generated without proper vetting.

"Kristi Noem isn?t the sharpest knife in the cabinet," Jack Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College, told the Sun.

Of course, Noem was under pressure from her boss. President Trump issued an executive order on April 28 that directed DHS and the attorney general to publish a list of states and local jurisdictions "obstructing federal immigration law enforcement and notify each sanctuary jurisdiction of its non-compliance, providing an opportunity to correct it."

According to the Sun's reporting, neither Inland Empire county received notification from the administration.

Noem attempted to rationalize the DHS list on Fox's Sunday Morning Futures.

"Some of the cities have pushed back," she said. "They think that because they don't have one law or another on the books that they don't qualify but they do qualify."

In a statement to NPR published on Monday, a senior DHS official said the list is constantly being reviewed and is subject to change.

"Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens," the official's statement said.

It's unclear whether DHS will release a more thoroughly vetted list at a later date.