Are there any Republican mayors who have not cooperated with ice
Executive summary
Reporting reviewed does not identify specific Republican mayors by name who have publicly refused to cooperate with ICE; the documented city-level opposition to recent ICE operations is led in the sources by Democratic mayors and coalitions, while analyses and accounts note that some local officials in Republican-led states—especially certain sheriffs—have also resisted full cooperation [1] [2]. The available coverage emphasizes partisan flashpoints over a clean map of which individual Republican mayors have formally declined cooperation, and the sources do not provide conclusive, named examples of Republican mayors taking that stance [2] [1].
1. A partisan story, but not exclusively partisan actors
National coverage frames non‑cooperation with ICE largely as a feature of Democratic city leadership and formal “sanctuary” policies in places like Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York, whose mayors have been in the headlines criticizing or litigating against federal enforcement surges [3] [1]. At the same time, Migration Policy’s reporting notes that resistance to full ICE cooperation has not been restricted to Democrats alone—some sheriffs and other local officials in Republican-led states have publicly raised concerns about the administration’s tactics and resisted certain partnerships—though the piece does not list individual Republican mayors who refused to cooperate [2].
2. Coalitions and lawsuits: who’s taking a public stand
Forty‑four mayors joined an amicus brief challenging the federal ICE surge in the Twin Cities, a coalition led in the coverage by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu; the source names the coalition and its legal action but does not present a roster organized by party that includes Republican mayors declining cooperation [1]. Those collective actions signal municipal opposition to ICE tactics, yet the public lists and statements highlighted in the reporting are dominated by Democratic mayors and progressive city governments [1].
3. Local pushback in smaller cities and states: mixed signals
State and local debates in Maine illustrate the mixed landscape: Portland’s mayor said the city and local police would not cooperate with ICE operations, and Lewiston’s mayor warned residents about increased ICE activity, but the coverage also records Republican state leaders criticizing those decisions—revealing conflict between municipal stances and Republican state officials rather than establishing Republican mayors as non‑cooperators [4] [5]. The reporting documents rhetorical and legal fights over cooperation but stops short of identifying Republican mayors who have formally refused to engage with ICE.
4. National Republican reaction and the absence of named Republican non‑cooperators
National Republican figures and conservative outlets have repeatedly criticized mayors and governors who restrict cooperation, framing those local policies as drivers of law‑and‑order problems and using them as proof points in political messaging [6] [7]. That pushback underscores why named Democratic mayors appear frequently in the coverage, while the sources reviewed contain little or no direct evidence naming Republican mayors who have publicly adopted non‑cooperation policies toward ICE [6] [7].
5. What the available reporting can—and cannot—establish
The sources clearly establish that many municipal leaders and some officials in Republican‑led jurisdictions have resisted aspects of federal immigration enforcement, and that coalitions of mayors have legally challenged ICE surges [2] [1]. However, the materials provided do not identify any specific Republican mayors who have publicly and formally refused to cooperate with ICE, and therefore a definitive affirmative list of Republican non‑cooperators cannot be produced from these sources alone—any such claim would require more granular municipal reporting or official city policy documents not included here [2] [1].