Blue City Abandons ‘Sanctuary City’ Policy After Warning From Trump Administration

Louisville, Kentucky, announced on Tuesday that it would take steps to remove its “sanctuary city” status, a designation imposed by the Trump administration earlier this year.

The Louisville Metro Department of Corrections will now honor immigration detainers filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which the federal law enforcement agency uses to ensure it can gain custody over illegal aliens arrested by local authorities.

Democrat Mayor Craig Greenberg said the Trump administration informed him that the city was in violation of federal law by refusing to comply with the detainer requests. In a letter, the Justice Department warned that other jurisdictions in violation had been hit with legal action and freezes on federal funding. Greenberg commented on the decision to revive a policy to hold illegal aliens for up to an additional 48 hours, explaining that doing so would remove the “sanctuary city” designation.

“I have been assured by the U.S. Department of Justice that, if we reinstate the 48-hour detainers for inmates who’ve been arrested for crimes, Louisville will be taken off the federal sanctuary city list,” Greenberg said.

He added that the city caved to the Trump administration because “the stakes are too high,” referencing the recent deployment of military forces to Los Angeles last month that were triggered by protests over ICE raids.

“We do not want the National Guard occupying the streets of Louisville,” said Greenberg. “Cities on the sanctuary city list right now are experiencing a terrifying increase in raids by ICE, including mass raids…Just look at what’s gone on in LA and other cities.”

Greenberg did note, however, that the city’s cooperation with ICE would be limited to complying with detainer requests and that local police would not assist the federal government in immigration enforcement, as some state and local law enforcement agencies across the country have done.

Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the city’s decision to comply with ICE detainer requests as “a major victory for the Department of Justice.”

“The city of Louisville is dropping its sanctuary city policies as a result of a strong written warning from my office,” Bondi posted on X on Tuesday. “This should set an example to other cities. 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.”