Justice Department releases a new list of sanctuary jurisdictions. LA County is not on it

Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times on Aug 5, 2025

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The Department of Justice published a new list Tuesday of 'sanctuary' jurisdictions that it claims have policies, laws or regulations that obstruct enforcement of federal immigration laws.

But while the list includes the Trump administration's typical targets — the city of Los Angeles and the state of California — one local area is not on it: L.A. County.

Los Angeles County has not formally declared itself a sanctuary jurisdiction. However, the county that is home to more than 2 million residents who are undocumented or living with undocumented family members, was included on a previous list of sanctuary jurisdictions published by the Department of Homeland Security in May. That list was subsequently removed from the DHS website.

In a news release, the Department of Justice said Tuesday that the new federal list of 35 cities, counties and states is "not exhaustive" and "will be updated as federal authorities gather further information."

A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not answer questions from the Los Angeles Times about why L.A. County was not on the list.

"These designations were made after a thorough review of documented laws, ordinances, and executive directives by the listed jurisdictions," the agency states on its website. "This initial list of designated Sanctuary Jurisdictions will be reviewed regularly, to include additional jurisdictions and remove jurisdictions that have remediated their policies, practices, and laws. Each state, county, and city will have an opportunity to respond to its placement on the list."

The new list is just the latest effort by the Trump administration to ramp up pressure on cities, counties and states that have policies or laws that restrict collaboration with federal immigration authorities.

"Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement Tuesday. "The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country."

California is one of 13 states, mostly on the West Coast and in the Northeast, that the Trump administration has identified as having policies or laws that impede federal immigration agents. Only four county jurisdictions are included in the Department of Justice list: Baltimore County, Maryland; Cook County, Illinois; San Diego, County and San Francisco County. Three of the 18 cities on the list — Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Francisco — are in California.

In April, Trump signed an executive order, "Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens," directing the Justice Department to work with DHS to publish a list of jurisdictions that "continue to use their authority to violate, obstruct, and defy the enforcement of Federal immigration laws."

The Justice Department has since taken legal action against a number of sanctuary jurisdictions.

In June, the agency filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, and the L.A. City Council that described L.A.'s sanctuary law as "illegal."

Officials, the lawsuit said, "refuse to cooperate or share information, even when requested, with federal immigration authorities."

"Jurisdictions like Los Angeles that flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level," Bondi said in a June statement. "It ends under President Trump."

In July, Bondi announced a "major victory" for the Department of Justice: the city of Louisville, Kentucky, she said, was ditching its sanctuary policies after receiving a letter from her office.

"This should set an example to other cities," Bondi said on X. "Instead of forcing us to sue you — which we will, without hesitation — follow the law, get rid of sanctuary policies, and work with us to fix the illegal immigration crisis.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department said in a news release that "the federal government will assist any jurisdiction that desires to be taken off this list to identify and eliminate their sanctuary policies."

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