List targeting Centre County & State College as ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ removed

Centre County and State College Borough were included Thursday on the Department of Homeland Security’s list of over 500 “sanctuary jurisdictions” accused of defying federal immigration law, but only days later, the list has been taken down.

While it’s unknown exactly when and why the list was taken down, Reuters reported Sunday that the removal came after “sharp criticism” from the National Sheriff’s Association about the list.

Kieran Donahue, the association’s president and the sheriff of Canyon County, Idaho, wrote in a statement that the list was published without the input from sheriffs in the association, and that it “violated the core principles of trust, cooperation and partnership with fellow law enforcement.”

“This is an unfortunate and unnecessary erosion of unity and collaboration with law enforcement and the enforcement of the rule of law at a time when that unity is needed most,” he said. “This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a Fox News segment Sunday that the DHS would continue to use the list, although it’s not known whether the list would remain private, or if the list will be brought back online for public viewership. A senior DHS official told Reuters that the list is being constantly reviewed and will be updated regularly.

The link on the DHS’ website where the list had been located has a “Page Not Found” error message as of Monday afternoon.

Neither the borough or county received formal notification of its alleged noncompliance, both entities said Friday in separate written statements to the CDT, though the DHS noted in a news release that notification was forthcoming.

Borough leadership clarified in January 2017 that it was not a sanctuary city, noting a previous council resolution simply made value statements about immigration. Meanwhile, the county government never passed anything related to “sanctuary jurisdictions,” a point also made by the Centre County Democratic Committee, although both communities have billed themselves as welcoming to all.

“[The list] is merely a distraction by the current administration from their attacks on the poor, veterans and our communities,” the committee added in a written statement.

In Pennsylvania, five cities and 11 counties were placed on the list, which was created as a direct result of Executive Order 14287, signed on April 28. The primary risk of being on the list is the potential loss of federal funding, which would have a significant economic impact on the communities involved.

Among the five cities on the list were Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State College and York. The 11 counties were Adams, Allegheny, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Dauphin, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Montour and Northampton.