Which states did the U.S. Department of Justice list as sanctuary jurisdictions in 2025 and on what basis?
Executive summary
The U.S. Department of Justice published a revised “sanctuary jurisdictions” list on August 5, 2025, identifying roughly three dozen jurisdictions — described by the DOJ as 12 states, the District of Columbia, four counties and 18 cities — that it says have policies or practices that impede federal immigration enforcement [1] [2] [3]. The designations rest on criteria tied to Executive Order 14287 and a DOJ review of local laws, ordinances, directives and public statements alleged to materially impede enforcement of federal immigration statutes [1] [4].
1. What the DOJ actually published and when
The Justice Department’s public announcement on Aug. 5, 2025, released a list of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions and said it would continue litigation and coordination with DHS to challenge those jurisdictions, invoking President Trump’s Executive Order 14287, “Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens,” as the legal and policy basis for the identifications [1]. Multiple news outlets summarized the release as a list of about 35 jurisdictions — described in DOJ materials as 18 cities, 13 states and four counties — and DOJ warned the list is not exhaustive and will be updated as federal authorities gather more information [2] [1].
2. Which states and localities are named — what can be stated from available reporting
Reporting and DOJ materials confirm that the list includes a mix of states, cities and counties, with examples cited across outlets: the state of California and San Diego County were explicitly mentioned in local reporting [5], New York and Colorado have been targets of related DOJ lawsuits and are cited in coverage as included in the administration’s enforcement campaign [2], and the District of Columbia is listed in later coverage describing the composition as 12 states plus DC [3]. Other named places in various reports include Boston, Albuquerque (reported as New Mexico’s sole surviving designation in one local outlet), and counties such as Baltimore, Cook, San Diego and San Francisco in versions of the list and related federal notices [6] [7] [8] [5]. The available sources do not publish a single, complete state-by-state roster in the reporting provided here, so a comprehensive enumeration of all 12 named states cannot be reconstructed solely from these sources.
3. On what legal and factual basis the DOJ says it designated jurisdictions
DOJ said designations were made after reviewing “documented laws, ordinances, and executive directives” and applying categories such as public declarations of sanctuary status, non-cooperation with federal immigration enforcement (including training-local staff to enforce sanctuary policies), and other actions that “materially impede” enforcement of federal immigration statutes and regulations — language echoed in the department’s published criteria and the AG’s internal memoranda tied to EO 14287 [4] [1]. The Attorney General’s memo and subsequent DOJ language also tie the concept to statutory obligations such as 8 U.S.C. provisions that federal officials say should not be obstructed, and to executive orders aiming to withhold or condition federal funds and pursue legal action where jurisdictions refuse to comply [9] [1].
4. Controversies, errors, and pushback that complicate the picture
The rollout has been contentious and uneven: DHS posted a far larger list of nearly 400 counties in late May that was quickly pulled amid errors and pushback, and subsequent DOJ communications and news coverage describe a pared-down list with lingering questions about methodology and accuracy [8] [10] [11]. Local officials and state attorneys general — for example, Connecticut’s AG — have publicly disputed the characterizations or the legal footing for labeling entire states as “sanctuary,” calling some descriptions exaggerated or factually incorrect, while the DOJ has threatened litigation and in some cases pursued lawsuits against jurisdictions like New York City and others [12] [1] [2].
5. Bottom line and limits of available reporting
The DOJ’s August 5, 2025 release designates roughly three dozen jurisdictions — including 12 states and the District of Columbia according to DOJ summaries — based on criteria tied to Executive Order 14287 and a documented-review framework that flags public sanctuary declarations, measured non-cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and laws or practices judged to materially impede federal statutes [1] [4] [3]. The sources assembled here provide examples and the broad contours of the list and criteria but do not present a single, fully detailed list of every named state in the 12-state cohort, so confirmation of the complete roster requires consultation of the DOJ’s primary release or follow-up official documents beyond the reporting compiled above [1] [2].