Fresno has been named a sanctuary city by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
However, the city and Mayor Jerry Dyer do not know why the federal government has named Fresno a sanctuary city and are looking for clarification.
Driving the news: Homeland Security released a list on Thursday naming sanctuary jurisdictions, including most counties in California and many cities, including Fresno.
- Homeland Security defines sanctuary jurisdictions as deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities, protecting dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and putting law enforcement in peril.
- The federal government determined the jurisdictions on its list by factors including compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions and legal protections for illegal immigrants.
The big picture: Homeland Security said it is sending formal notification of non-compliance with federal statutes to each jurisdiction on the list and demands that the jurisdictions immediately review and revise its policies to align with federal immigration laws.
- Jurisdictions that do not comply with the federal government on sanctuary policies can face potential funding cuts.
- The problem for Fresno is that the city has never formally declared itself a sanctuary city, such as fellow California cities Los Angeles, San Francisco and others. The State of California was deemed a sanctuary state by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017.
What they’re saying: Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said on Friday that Fresno is not a sanctuary city and he does not know why Homeland Security has deemed it one.
- “It’s unclear to me how the City of Fresno ended up on a Department of Homeland Security list of jurisdictions that allegedly have obstructed federal immigration enforcement,” Dyer said. “Fresno is not, by any definition, a sanctuary city. We are awaiting clarification from DHS to better understand the basis for this designation and will determine our next steps once we have more information.”
