Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara speaks during a news conference June 16, 2023 at the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
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A growing number of cities, states, police departments, school districts and other local governments are signaling they will not cooperate with what Trump administration officials describe as the largest deportation effort of migrants in the history of the United States.
“The Omaha Police Department does not intend to participate in any raids,” said Chief Todd Schmaderer, who heads the Omaha, Nebraska, Police Department. in a video posted on Youtube. He added that local officers “do not and will not stop” people to check their legal status.
Department of Homeland Security officials say they have launched nationwide efforts to identify, detain and deport many more migrants without legal status, including some allowed to enter the United States by the Biden administration. DHS officials also say their agents are now free to conduct raids on churches and schools, reversing directives that barred access to “sensitive” areas.
Appearing in the same video, Republican Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said threats of a nationwide immigration crackdown were causing “concern and fear” in her community. “Immigration enforcement is the responsibility of federal law enforcement agencies, not the Omaha Police Department,” she said.
Omaha officials are not alone. Leaders in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and other communities have made clear they will play no role in roundups of migrants without legal status — and could actively oppose them through legal action and other efforts.
“It would have a very chilling effect on our ability to provide public safety in the city if people were afraid to call the Minneapolis police because they think we’re going to call immigration,” the chief said of Minneapolis police, Brian O’Hara. A interview with MPR News.
At an event last week in Grand Prairie, Texas, Police Chief Daniel Scesney said his department also would not support immigration sweeps. “My officers would not be using their time effectively if they were driving around trying to find people who might have been born elsewhere,” Scesney said.
Other cities have publicly opposed all or part of the federal crackdown:
- Denver City Government published an editorial this week on its official website describing the federal immigration crackdown as “a calamity.” Democratic Mayor Mike Johnson said it’s likely the city will join lawsuits aimed at protecting migrants’ rights.
- The Bridgeport, Connecticut, school district released a statement saying that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be denied access to school buildings, buses or events without permission from authorities. “Every student…regardless of immigration status has the right to feel safe and supported,” said Acting Superintendent Royce Avery.
- In November, the city of Los Angeles adopted an ordinance which prohibited the use of city resources in immigration enforcement efforts while limiting information sharing with federal immigration authorities.
- To a rally Wednesday in New YorkMayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, said city officials would “stand up for all New Yorkers, documented and undocumented” and “make sure you get the services you deserve.”
- In El Paso, Texas, Mayor Renard Johnson, who describes himself as nonpartisan, criticized Trump’s immigration plans to deploy U.S. troops along the southern border, which he called “very secure “. At a public meeting this week, Renard addressed migrant families: “You can live in peace in our communities, you can go to schools, you can go to churches, and everything will be fine.”
Before President Trump took office, many local jurisdictions in the United States adopted measures strictly limiting cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities. The Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for tighter restrictions on migrants entering the United States, has identified 13 states and more than 200 cities and counties with some form of “sanctuary” law or ordinance protecting migrants.
Some cities have adopted Trump’s migrant expulsion plan. Huntington Beach, California, passed a measure this week declaring the community a non-sanctuary city. In a statement, Mayor Pat Burnsa Republican, blasted other California officials for “hijacking our federal government’s enforcement of our immigration laws.”
Trump administration officials have made clear they plan to put pressure on local governments that are not cooperating. A Memo from the Department of Justice distributed this week, said state and local officials could face prosecution if they do not assist in law enforcement efforts.
“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, or failing to comply with lawful orders or requests related to immigration,” the memo states, raising the possibility of charges for receiving immigrants without legal status or for failure to share information with immigration authorities.
