Letter Calls on Administration to Share Criteria and Provide Appeals Process

Washington, DC—Today, on behalf of the nation’s mayors, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, to voice deep concern over the Trump Administration’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions that was released late last week. While the Administration includes 188 cities they deem have a policy of limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, they do not cite the criteria it used to identify these individual jurisdictions. The Conference is calling on the Administration to be transparent, to provide an appeals process that allows city officials to meet individually with Administration officials to defend their policies and practices, and to not withhold any federal funding until the appeals process is complete.

The letter reads in part:

“Many of these cities were surprised to find themselves among the 188 cities on your list. They comply with federal law enforcement and often provide backup to federal authorities when they are notified in advance that there will be an action in their cities and their help is needed. They do not restrict the sharing of information with federal authorities. They do not harbor undocumented people. They collaborate with state and federal law enforcement partners on a daily basis. If an individual has a judicial criminal warrant, regardless of their immigration status, our police departments enforce that warrant and assist state and federal law enforcement in holding that person accountable through the criminal justice process. They want to get serious criminals off the streets as much as you do.”

Mayors across the country believe that the Administration’s action is an overreach of federal authority, which undermines local autonomy and endangers public safety and essential services that benefit all residents. Local policies, which prioritize trust between local law enforcement and residents, are critical in keeping communities safe. As crime continues to plummet in cities, the Administration’s action stands to jeopardize the great progress mayors and their police chiefs have made in recent years.

The full text of the letter can be found below, and a copy is linked here.

June 2, 2025 

The Honorable Pam Bondi                                    The Honorable Kristi Noem

Attorney General of the United States                  Secretary of Homeland Security

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW                            2801 Nebraska Avenue NW,

Washington, DC 20530-0001                              Washington, DC 20528

Dear General Bondi and Secretary Noem,

I write on behalf of cities large and small across the nation that you have deemed sanctuary jurisdictions. The announcement posted on the Department of Homeland Security website claims that these cities “are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities. Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril.”

Many of these cities were surprised to find themselves among the 188 cities on your list. They comply with federal law enforcement and often provide backup to federal authorities when they are notified in advance that there will be an action in their cities and their help is needed. They do not restrict the sharing of information with federal authorities. They do not harbor undocumented people. They collaborate with state and federal law enforcement partners on a daily basis. If an individual has a judicial criminal warrant, regardless of their immigration status, our police departments enforce that warrant and assist state and federal law enforcement in holding that person accountable through the criminal justice process. They want to get serious criminals off the streets as much as you do.

For mayors, public safety is job one. They work hard every day to make sure their cities and their residents are as safe as possible. Through a concerted effort by mayors and their police chiefs, crime has been plummeting in our cities. Any forced effort to divert scarce resources and break trust with immigrant communities is a threat to public safety and to the great progress we have made.

We urge you to publish the specific criteria the Administration used to determine that an individual jurisdiction belongs on your list. When you formally notify these jurisdictions, as you have said you will do, we ask that you identify the specific laws, policies, and actions that led to their inclusion on the list and the specific instances of non-compliance with federal statutes. And we ask that you set up an appeals process that jurisdictions can use to challenge the Administration’s interpretation of those local laws, policies and actions and that the appeals process provide a way for officials of each jurisdiction to speak or meet with officials of your agencies to discuss the charges you have levied against them. Finally, we urge you not to withhold any federal funds to these jurisdictions until after the completion of the appeals process.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. The United States Conference of Mayors stands ready to work with you to make sure that our cities are treated fairly and respectfully through this process and have an opportunity to defend their policies and practices and be heard by the Administration.

Sincerely,

Tom Cochran

CEO and Executive Director