What to know about Trump’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions

A lengthy list of sanctuary jurisdictions was released Thursday as part of an April executive order from President Donald Trump that continues his administration’s efforts to crack down on cities, counties, and states that he believes run afoul of federal immigration laws and enforcement.

Released by the Department of Homeland Security, the list includes a number of local jurisdictions in Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, and Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery Counties. New Jersey and Delaware were also listed as sanctuary jurisdictions at the state level, as were various cities and counties located within their borders.

Cities named on the list could face cuts to federal funding, though that effort is likely to result in legal battles that could delay that outcome. And how the list was developed exactly remains unclear, resulting in confusion from some local lawmakers.

Here is what you need to know:

While the definition varies, sanctuary cities are often considered places that restrict local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities. As a result, municipalities that are considered to be sanctuary cities typically choose to not offer assistance to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and instead direct local police to focus on local policing.

Philadelphia, for example, has a policy that keeps city jails from holding inmates for longer than they otherwise would in response to warrantless requests from ICE. The city has also removed ICE from a law enforcement database, and directed city employees to not ask about Philly residents’ immigration status, among other notable moves.

Referring to such jurisdictions as “sanctuaries,” however, is something of a misnomer, The Inquirer previously reported. While local law enforcement in sanctuary cities don’t assist federal immigration authorities with their work, undocumented immigrants in those cities do not receive special protections under municipal law, and can still be arrested by federal agents.

While it was not immediately clear how the Trump administration determined sanctuary status for the areas on its list, the Department of Homeland Security notes on its website that factors include “compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions, and legal protections for illegal aliens.”

Those places included on the Trump administration’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions will be formally notified of what the Department of Homeland Security has called their “noncompliance with Federal statutes.” The department added that named jurisdictions must “revise their policies to align with Federal immigration laws.”

At risk for areas deemed as noncompliant are billions of dollars in federal aid. In April, Trump signed an executive order threatening sanctuary jurisdictions with funding cuts and legal action to force their compliance.

Philadelphia, for example, received $2.2 billion in federal funding during the 2024 fiscal year, which accounted for about a third of its total $6.2 billion budget. Losing most or all of that federal funding would have “grave and extremely concerning” impacts, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said in March.

Parker’s administration, however, has said that the city is prepared to go to court over any potential halts in federal funding.

“If we have to litigate, then we’ll do that,” City Solicitor Renee Garcia told City Council earlier this month. Garcia added that other national lawsuits were likely following the release of the list of sanctuary jurisdictions.

Following the list’s release late Thursday, Garcia told The Inquirer that Philadelphia is, in fact, not a sanctuary city.

“We are a welcoming city,” Garcia said.

Other cities have also embraced that nomenclature, which has been gaining ground in pro-immigration circles recently, Inquirer columnist Helen Ubiñas recently reported. That shift in language is believed to be a more accurate characterization than “sanctuary,” and may help from being targeted by the Trump administration.

In Philadelphia, city officials began adopting the “welcoming” alternative sometime after Parker took office, but the rebrand was not publicly announced. Parker spokesperson Joe Grace confirmed Thursday night that none of the city’s pro-immigrant policies have changed during the mayor’s tenure. But whether that rebrand will help Philadelphia or other so-called sanctuary jurisdictions in this context is unclear.

“Philadelphia is a welcoming city,” City Councilmember Rue Landau said in a statement Thursday night. “That has been our stance, and this list is Trump’s attempt to instill more fear and uncertainty among the immigrant communities.”

Like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh is a Democratic stronghold and part of the reason Pennsylvania is considered a swing state. While it has never formally declared itself a sanctuary city, it’s adopted some sanctuary city policies, including not cooperating with ICE.

In late January, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey — Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor who ran in 2021 on a progressive platform but lost his reelection campaign last week — told reporters his administration “will not work with ICE.” He added that his office would do “whatever is necessary to make our city more welcoming.” Gainey will be mayor until January 2026.

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, whose district includes part of Pittsburgh, also criticized recent efforts to force local leaders to work with ICE and assist with Trump’s immigration crackdown.

York is on the DHS list despite the city’s mayor’s efforts to insulate the city from conflict.

In December 2024, the York City Council passed a bill intended to welcome immigrants and refugees and prohibit city employees or law enforcement from assisting ICE.

But York City Mayor Michael Helfrich vetoed the bill out of fear that the legislation would classify York as a formal “sanctuary city.” Helfrich said he worried the classification would threaten the city’s access to federal funding.

Despite the veto, DHS included York on its list of sanctuary jurisdictions.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who represents parts of Lehigh and Northampton Counties, both on the list, said Thursday that “sanctuary policies put the community and law enforcement in harm’s way.”

Mackenzie in February denounced the Democratic county executive’s decision not to cooperate with ICE, calling it “appalling.”

Many other local lawmakers expressed confusion at their counties or cities being included on the list.

Delaware County is considered a sanctuary jurisdiction, according to the list, but the county itself does not believe it is one. As Delaware County Council Chair Monica Taylor put it, local lawmakers “wouldn’t even know what the definition would be.”

“We are in compliance with all federal laws,” Taylor said. “We’ll have to see into this to learn more.”

Likewise, Burlington County spokesperson Dave Levinsky said that local officials there had approved no resolutions, policies, or directives in the past six years.

In Chester County, Democratic Commissioner Josh Maxwell was left puzzled. He said he believed the administration labeled the county “to pressure us to work with ICE to continue getting federal funds.”

“We’re not a sanctuary county because we never adopted a sanctuary county policy,” he said. “That means we never made any declaration that we wouldn’t work with ICE. We would.”

Camden officials were also unsure of why that city was included on the list, calling the development “deeply troubling.” Camden City Council President Angel Fuentes said in a statement Friday that she believes the city is being targeted simply because it’s a diverse, predominantly Hispanic community.

“I’m not sure why we’re on this list,” said Vincent Basara, director of communications for the city of Camden.

Staff writers Jeff Gammage, Sean Collins Walsh, and Alfred Lubrano contributed to this article.