On May 30, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a list of nearly 400 counties that they designated as “sanctuary jurisdictions,” as part of the implementation of the Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens Executive Order.

In June, NACo, the International Municipal Lawyers Association, and the National League of Cities sent a joint letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice urging clarity on how sanctuary jurisdictions are designated.

On August 5, the U.S. Department of Justice published an updated list of sanctuary jurisdictions and an explanation of the criteria for inclusion. No counties in Nebraska are included on the updated list. 

Lincoln County Commissioner Micaela Wuehler led the initial charge to assist Nebraska counties in being removed from the designation list. Commissioner Wuehler provides a more comprehensive breakdown of the year-long effort by NACO and county leadership to ensure accurate representation of Nebraska counties’ adherence to federal immigration policy in a recent article by the North Platte Bulletin.