Fact check: What cities have declared themselves sanctuary cities in response to ICE activities in 2025?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, only Chelsea and Somerville, Massachusetts have definitively declared themselves sanctuary cities in 2025 ^[1]. While other major cities like New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Seattle have been identified as potential targets for ICE enforcement actions ^[2], there is no concrete evidence in the provided sources that they have newly declared sanctuary status in 2025.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original question:

• There is widespread anti-ICE protest activity occurring across 21 states and 37 cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, New York, Atlanta, and Spokane ^[3]
• The Trump administration has issued an executive order targeting sanctuary jurisdictions and threatening to cut off federal funding ^[4]
• Cities that have declared sanctuary status are actively engaging in legal battles to protect their federal funding ^[1]
• There are ongoing legal challenges being mounted against sanctuary cities by the federal government ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question may lead to several misconceptions:

• It assumes that cities are newly declaring sanctuary status in 2025, when many existing sanctuary cities are simply maintaining their status while facing new challenges
• It oversimplifies a complex situation where cities might have sanctuary-like policies without officially declaring themselves sanctuary cities ^[6]
• It doesn't acknowledge that being targeted by ICE activities doesn't necessarily mean a city has declared itself a sanctuary city ^[2]

Beneficiaries of different narratives:

• Federal government/Trump administration benefits from highlighting non-compliance of sanctuary cities to justify funding cuts and enforcement actions ^[4]
• Local governments in sanctuary cities benefit from emphasizing their autonomy and protection of immigrant communities ^[1]
• Immigration advocacy groups benefit from highlighting widespread protests and resistance to ICE activities ^[3]