Latest news with #NationalSheriffs'Association
Mint
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
FBI Shifts Focus From Immigration to Terrorism Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is moving resources off immigration cases and back to counterterrorism, citing potential threats after the US launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites and helped broker a ceasefire between Iran and Israel following nearly two weeks of fighting. FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday the bureau's top priority is now stopping possible retaliation inside the US. He warned that the threat of lone actors, sleeper cells and foreign-backed plots has grown. 'Right now the focus, given the nature especially of what just happened, has to be on protecting the homeland and protecting our communities,' Patel told the National Sheriffs' Association conference in Florida. A new Department Homeland Security bulletin warns of a 'heightened threat environment' fueled by rising tensions in the Middle East, as well as the lingering fallout from the 2020 killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. Iran and Israel on Tuesday appeared to be honoring the US-backed ceasefire announced a day earlier by President Donald Trump, despite reports of scattered early violations. Just weeks ago, the FBI had redirected agents to immigration enforcement, drawing resources away from terrorism, counterintelligence and fraud investigations. The bureau was among several federal agencies — including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the US Marshals Service — enlisted in the Trump administration's broader push to carry out mass deportations. Earlier this month, Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests over his immigration crackdown. Since then, Guard units have also accompanied Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on raids across the greater LA area. Patel didn't say whether the FBI's previous immigration directives had been formally rescinded. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on operational details but said the agency 'continuously assesses and realigns' resources based on evolving threats. In his remarks, Patel accused the Biden administration of allowing 'thousands of known or suspected terrorists' into the US through lax screening at the border, and said the bureau is now focused on tracking them down. 'We now have prioritized looking for them,' he said. Patel said the bureau is relying more heavily on sheriffs and local departments to detect emerging threats, describing them as the 'best ground-level intelligence' available. 'And if you do it town by town by town by town, then it replicates,' he said. 'And then it has an effect that is cascading onto the rest of the country.' This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A list of 'sanctuary jurisdictions' disappeared, leaving RI officials in limbo. What we know.
The removal of an executive order and list of alleged 'sanctuary jurisdictions" published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that included Rhode Island, Central Falls and Providence has left state and local officials in limbo about the possible implications of the designation. On May 29, President Donald Trump issued an executive order naming Rhode Island, Providence and Central Falls as jurisdictions the administration said are obstructing federal immigration law. But as of June 4, neither Rhode Island officials nor officials with the two cities had received formal notice of the order, according to spokespeople. Days after the order was issued, on May 31, National Sheriffs' Association President Sheriff Kieran Donahue, a Trump supporter, released a statement faulting the list as lacking transparency and accountability and undermining cooperation. 'This list was created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to object to the designation. Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label. The completion and publication of this list has not only violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement, but it also has the potential to strain the relationship between sheriffs and the White House administration,' the statement reads. 'This is an unfortunate and unnecessary erosion of unity and collaboration with law enforcement and the enforcement of the rule of law at a time when that unity is needed most,' it continued. Spokespeople for Homeland Security did not respond to multiple inquiries about the designations and specifics about the underlying policy. The order alleged that the jurisdictions on the list "are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities. Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril." The order stated that the cities, towns and states would receive "formal notification of its non-compliance with federal statutes" and will need to "immediately" review and revise their policies to comply with "federal immigration laws." The order also states that the jurisdictions identified must "renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens." In addition, the order stated that the list could be changed and updated "at any time" and that "no one should act on this information without conducting their own evaluation of the information." This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Trump's 'sanctuary city' order disappeared, leaving RI officials in limbo
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump administration 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list vanishes after pushback from sheriffs
Trump administration 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list vanishes after pushback from sheriffs The president of the National Sheriffs' Association said sheriffs felt 'betrayed' by the list. Show Caption Hide Caption Tallahassee, Florida ICE raid, detained workers speak from bus. ICE raid took place in Tallahassee, Florida, detained workers speak from bus. The list, created following a Trump executive order, aimed to identify jurisdictions hindering federal immigration laws and potentially withhold their funding. Several sheriffs and county officials, including those from Republican-led areas, disputed their inclusion on the list, citing compliance with ICE. After pushback from sheriffs nationwide, a list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" has disappeared from the Department of Homeland Security's website. The list was published last week, about a month after President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to create a list of jurisdictions that have been obstructing federal immigration laws. These jurisdictions would risk their federal funds being terminated or suspended. Greater Cincinnati Republicans were confused after two GOP-controlled counties, Warren County in Ohio and Campbell County in Kentucky, were included on the list. "We have supported ICE's mission since I took office," Warren County Sheriff Barry K. Riley previously told The Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network. "They got this wrong." An official in Campbell County told The Enquirer their inclusion on the list was a mistake. Sheriffs and county officials in several other states were also mystified at being deemed noncompliant. Sheriff Kieran Donahue, president of the National Sheriff's Association, released a statement on May 31 saying sheriffs felt "betrayed" by the list. "DHS has done a terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country. The President's goals to reduce crime, secure the Borders, and make America safer have taken a step backward," the statement read. "In a meeting today called by the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), with members of DHS, no political appointee for the administration could explain who compiled, proofed, and verified the list before publication." List removed over the weekend The sheriffs' association called on Homeland Security to immediately share the criteria for the list, take it offline and apologize to sheriffs. The list was removed from Homeland Security's website on June 1, according to the Wayback Machine. Sheriff's offices have played a major role in the Trump administration's mass deportation effort by supporting ICE. Across the country, including in Southwest Ohio's Butler County, sheriffs have signed contracts with ICE, allowing agents to use their jails to hold detainees. "This list was created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to objectto the designation. Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do toavoid this arbitrary label," the sheriffs' association statement read. The list, which the association blamed on Homeland Security, said "not only violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement, but it also has the potential to strain the relationship between Sheriffs and the White House administration … This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome." Cincinnati, a Democrat-controlled city, was also included on the now-deleted list. City council did declare Cincinnati a "sanctuary city" in 2017, but the move was symbolic and did not result in any new policies. After the list was published, Mayor Aftab Pureval told The Enquirer the city would continue to follow federal laws and had not been informed why they were deemed noncompliant.
Int'l Business Times
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Kristi Noem's 'Sanctuary' Cities List Taken Down After Police Org Condemned Her Department's 'Terrible Disservice' to Trump
The Department of Homeland Security, headed by Secretary Kristi Noem, removed a list of sanctuary cities and counties which it initially published in order to accuse local legislators of obstructing the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda. The National Sheriffs' Association, a group that consistently supports President Donald Trump, spoke out against the publication of the list on Saturday, calling it "arbitrary". "DHS has done a terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country. The President's goals to reduce crime, secure the Borders, and make America safer have taken a step backward," the group's president, Sheriff Kieran Donahue of Canyon County, Idaho, said in a statement. "The sheriffs of this country feel betrayed." The association continued to state that the list was "created without any input, criteria for compliance, or mechanism for how to object to the designation." Noem shared the publication of the list last week, accusing representatives and officials of the included cities and counties of hampering federal law. "These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens," Noem said at the time. "We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law. President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law." Sanctuary city policies prevent local law enforcement officers from regularly checking in on people's immigration status, though undocumented immigrants are turned over to immigration authorities if they commit a felony. Trump has referred to these policies as "lawless insurrection" against the federal government, and called for a list of cities which had adopted such policies. While the list published by the DHS included cities which are known sanctuary cities, such as Boston, Chicago, New York City and Denver, it also included cities which had never adopted such policies. "The completion and publication of this list has not only violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement, but it also has the potential to strain the relationship between Sheriffs and the White House administration," NSA's statement continued. "This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that make takes years to overcome." Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trump's sanctuary cities list disappears after sheriffs' criticism, 12 Mass. cities on the list
In the face of stiff criticism from a national law enforcement group, the Trump administration withdrew a list published last week of states and cities across the country it said were violating federal law by providing sanctuary to undocumented immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday identified more than 500 communities, including Boston and 11 others in Massachusetts, that it said were 'sanctuary cities' — localities that limit their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. But by Sunday, the link to the list on the department's website led only to an empty webpage. The publication drew swift pushback from the National Sheriffs' Association, a group representing more than 3,000 elected sheriffs nationwide, including some whose departments were confused why they had ended up on the list. 'The Sheriffs of this country feel betrayed,' Kieran Donahue, the president of the association, said in a statement Saturday. He said the list lacked input, criteria or a mechanism for appeal, leaving sheriffs with 'no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label.' The publication 'violated the core principles of trust, cooperation and partnership with fellow law enforcement,' Donahue said, creating a 'vacuum of trust' between federal and local law enforcement 'that may take years to overcome.' 'The list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly,' a senior Homeland Security official said in response to a request for comment Monday morning. Federal officials said last week that the 'lawless' jurisdictions identified on the list would be formally notified of the government's belief that they were noncompliant with the law. They would be ordered to change local policies to match the Trump administration's stance on immigration issues or risk losing federal funding or contracts. Proponents of sanctuary policies say they are not only legal but beneficial to public safety as well. By avoiding cooperation with immigration agents on noncriminal matters, they argue undocumented residents feel more comfortable interacting with police, leaving cities safer as a whole. Read more: Sanctuary or not, immigrant fears transcend borders in Chelsea, Revere The Trump administration disagrees. 'These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,' U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement Thursday accompanying the list's publication. The list of sanctuary jurisdictions included communities in nearly three dozen states, including all six in New England. In Massachusetts, the communities identified by the Trump administration were: Amherst Boston Cambridge Chelsea Concord Holyoke Lawrence Newton Northampton Orleans Somerville Springfield Boston's sanctuary policy has frequently been singled out by the Trump administration. Under city law, Boston police are barred from asking members of the public about their immigration status or assisting federal agents with civil immigration enforcement. However, the law does not prevent police from assisting immigration authorities with criminal investigations into drugs, weapons, human trafficking or other matters. Read more: Boston's Trust Act: What it is and how it works The government said Massachusetts as a whole also qualified as a sanctuary jurisdiction, potentially referring to a ruling from the state's highest court barring any police department from detaining someone at the request of federal officials without a warrant. The government further listed every county in the state as a sanctuary jurisdiction, excluding Hampden County. Donahue said Trump administration officials could not explain to his organization who developed or verified the list before its publication. In public statements, administration officials were vague on the precise criteria behind the list. They said it was based on a number of factors, including whether the communities self-identified as sanctuary jurisdictions, how much they comply with federal immigration law, whether they had restrictions on information sharing with the immigration enforcement authorities and what protections they provide people in the country without documentation. The sheriffs' association 'believes that the criteria for evaluation used by DHS must be published immediately, and they must provide a legitimate reason to evaluate those not cooperating with ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies,' Donahue said. 'These are not just common-sense efforts; they are urgent necessities.' Boston Mayor Wu lays out safety plan as city enters volatile summer months Man stole police officer's gun, fired it outside Mass General Hospital, officials say Boston Police responding to 'active incident' near Mass General Hospital After serious safety concerns at Boston Calling last year, fans return in 2025 Read the original article on MassLive.
