Trump calls these communities immigrant sanctuaries. They reject the label.

Shortly after the list’s publication, many sheriffs and officials from across the country expressed confusion, noting they do not enact sanctuary policies.

Backlash also came from the National Sheriffs’ Association, which said in a statement that sheriffs felt “betrayed” by the list, and that it was compiled “in a manner that lacks transparency and accountability.”

Published online May 29, the list was taken off DHS’ website by June 1. But questions remain as to what being seen as immigrant sanctuaries by the federal government could mean for the six Georgia localities named.

All Georgia jurisdictions named on the list reject the designation.

“While Atlanta remains a welcoming city, it is well known that Georgia state law has prohibited ‘sanctuary cities’ since 2009,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. The Trump administration’s list “in no way, shape, fashion or form affects how my Administration has upheld and will continue to uphold municipal, state and federal laws.”

Fulton County released a statement with a similar sentiment.

“Fulton County complies with state and federal laws, including Georgia law that bans sanctuary jurisdictions,” it said. “Our law enforcement agencies cooperate fully with state and federal agencies in enforcement of applicable laws. Fulton County also uses the E-Verify platform in our hiring and procurement practices.

“We are not aware why this designation was made and will be exploring avenues to reverse this designation.”

President Donald Trump had required that his administration tally apparent sanctuary communities in an April executive order, which said that obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws amounts to “a lawless insurrection.”

Consequences for places designated as immigrant sanctuaries include the suspension or termination of federal grants and contracts.

Credit: Lautaro Grinspan

Credit: Lautaro Grinspan

Nationwide, some of the officials befuddled at being deemed noncompliant represent communities that are solidly Republican and approve of the administration’s immigration crackdown. That wasn’t the case in Georgia, where all the cities mentioned voted against Trump by large margins.

Still, officials said they do not get in the way of immigration enforcement. Doing so is illegal in Georgia, which enacted a law in 2009 banning local governments from becoming sanctuary jurisdictions. Subsequent legislation at the state level added more teeth to the ban.

In 2024, HB 1105 stipulated that sanctuary policies would cost governments state funding and could result in charges against local officials.

“It seems the list that briefly appeared online was produced without fact-finding about these matters,” Athens-Clarke Mayor Kelly Girtz said in a statement. He noted the county follows immigration law, and the federal government did not inform county leadership why it was deemed noncompliant.

“We are not aware of any official criteria that lead to any such designation,” Athens-Clarke Sheriff John Q. Williams added.

Douglas County officials said they, too, are confused as to how the county landed on the list.

“To be clear, our governing authority has not designated Douglas County, Georgia, as a ‘sanctuary jurisdiction,’ county spokesperson Yvette Jones said.

The Department of Homeland Security said it created its list using factors such as “compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions, and legal protections for illegal aliens.”

The agency did not respond to an inquiry from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asking it to lay out the actions that got the Georgia cities and counties listed.

Earlier this month, the conservative Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates increased border security and limited immigration, released its own list of sanctuary jurisdictions.

Although the FAIR report describes Georgia as an “anti-sanctuary state,” it said some jurisdictions, including many in metro Atlanta, have been able to undermine immigration enforcement.

The city of Atlanta’s detention center, the report said, was found in 2024 to be among those that do not cooperate with requests to hold immigrant inmates longer so they can be picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In 2018, at a time when the first Trump administration’s family separation policy caused widespread controversy, Atlanta leadership moved to prevent ICE detainees from being held at the city’s jail, ending an agreement with the federal government that dated back to 2010.