Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published “a comprehensive list of sanctuary jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens.”
That list included Minnesota localities such as Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Scott, Carver, and Wright counties. However, the entire list has been taken down temporarily after many local law enforcement agencies expressed surprise and confusion by their inclusion on the list. In fact, the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) issued a highly critical statement.
“This list was created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to object to the designation,” said NSA President Sheriff Kieran Donahue. “Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label.”
Some counties in Minnesota have pushed back on their inclusion on the list, including Otter Tail County, where the sheriff’s office said it “maintains strong and ongoing cooperation with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”
While the list has been taken down, DHS informed Alpha News that “the list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly.”
Additionally, the federal agency explained that, “Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens.”
In particular, Wright County’s inclusion on the list caused surprise amongst public officials and kicked off a discussion on social media about whether the county was a sanctuary jurisdiction. The county is considered a Republican stronghold that President Donald Trump won by 30 points.
Wright County Commissioner Darek Vetsch described his county’s inclusion on the list as “misinformation” at a recent board meeting.
“Wright County, and the sheriff’s office, is a good partner with our federal government and it is a good partner will all agencies including [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], and we are not, have not taken, and don’t have any intentions to taking any actions in terms of naming Wright County as a sanctuary county,” said Vetsch.
After seeing the online discussion about Wright County’s status, Alpha News reached out to the Wright County Sheriff’s Office regarding its cooperation with ICE. The agency was asked three questions:
- Does the Wright County Sheriff’s Office fully cooperate with ICE?
- Does the Wright County Sheriff’s Office restrict information sharing with ICE?
- Does the Wright County Sheriff’s Office honor ICE detainers?
Sheriff Sean Deringer responded by sending Alpha News an email thread that he acknowledged “does not specifically answer your questions.” However, the sheriff said the thread would explain “the bind that MN law enforcement, specifically Sheriff’s, finds ourselves in.”
In that thread, Deringer discussed the DHS list with the Wright County Journal Press, saying he was “surprised” by Wright County’s inclusion. The sheriff noted that he does not believe DHS’ classification “accurately reflects how we conduct business.”
“Obviously, immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government and not local law enforcement,” added the sheriff. “With that said, we have always prided ourselves on our partnerships with our local and federal partners. Look no further that [sic] our partnership with the FBI in regards to our joint training center. MN law enforcement is once again caught in the middle as our Governor and MN Attorney General are at odds with the current Presidential Administration.”
In February, Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a “formal legal opinion” saying that “Minnesota law prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from holding someone based on an immigration detainer if the person would otherwise be released from custody.”
Alpha News asked the Wright County Sheriff’s Office if it could provide specific answers to the three aforementioned questions but did not receive further answers.
Similarly, ICE did not provide specifics for this story. An agency spokesperson simply told Alpha News that ICE “recognizes the importance of its relationships with state and local law enforcement partners. ICE will continue to partner with local stakeholders to coordinate and achieve the mission of ensuring national security and public safety.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
