10 rural Nebraska counties ended up on a federal ‘sanctuary jurisdiction’ list. State and local officials say it’s a mistake

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The Department of Homeland Security released a list on Thursday of “sanctuary jurisdictions” accused of “shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

Included in the list are ten Nebraska counties: Arthur, Blaine, Grant, Greeley, Hooker, Howard, Logan, Loup, McPherson and Thomas. But none of them are sanctuary jurisdictions, according to state and local officials.

It appears that the counties ended up on the list because they do not have their own detention facilities and instead contract with other, larger counties to provide jail services. A statement released Friday by the Sandhills Area Sheriff’s Association said that Arthur, Grant, Hooker, Logan, McPherson and Thomas counties are not sanctuary jurisdictions.

“In fact, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in North Platte considers each of these counties to be completely supportive, cooperative and compliant with the handling of federal immigration laws,” the statement said. “The misunderstanding appears to rise from the fact that these counties do not maintain detention facilities.”

County officials in Blaine, Greeley and Howard counties said the same when reached by phone on Friday. Each said that their county is not a sanctuary jurisdiction, and they had no communication with the Department of Homeland Security prior to the list being published.

Laura Strimple, a spokesperson for Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, confirmed that none of the named counties are sanctuary counties.

“Governor Pillen knows the sheriffs and officials in those counties strongly support President Trump’s long-overdue immigration enforcement priorities and that their support for ICE’s work rivals that of any jurisdiction in the country,” Strimple said in an email. “We are working closely with our partners in the administration to resolve the issue.”

Greeley County Attorney Cindy Bassett said she believes the error stems from a questionnaire sent out by ICE years ago that asked counties a series of questions about their immigration enforcement practices, including if they will allow ICE to enter county jails or honor ICE detainers.

“It’s not right,” Bassett said of the counties being included on the list without any contact from federal officials.

Howard County Sheriff Mike Hoff said he’s been assured by the ICE office in Grand Island that the agency has no issues with his department. Like the others, he received no notice that his county was considered a sanctuary jurisdiction by the federal government.

An official in Loup County could not immediately be reached for comment.

The issue doesn’t appear to be limited to Nebraska. One county in Ohio and another in Kentucky told the Cincinnati Enquirer that their inclusion on the list was a mistake. Seven rural counties in North Dakota also ended up on the list, despite the fact that state law explicitly prohibits sanctuary policies.

President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to put together the list of sanctuary jurisdictions in an executive order last month. Trump has said he will withhold federal funding from jurisdictions with sanctuary status.