The publication of the weekly report highlighting countries and cities refusing to assist federal immigration authorities is being temporarily halted by the Trump administration after several jurisdictions challenged the accuracy of the information.
President Donald Trump signed the report into existence, via executive order, in January. It is intended to name localities that turn down requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to keep undocumented immigrants in detention until they can take them into custody to be deported. ICE says that ordinary Americans are put in danger by refusals to honor these requests. But, the countries and cities highlighted in the report claim that it is intended to pressurize them into cooperating with immigration authorities.
ICE spokeswoman, Sarah Rodriguez, confirmed the temporary suspension of the report. She says the suspension will enable Immigration and Customs Enforcement to analyze and refine the reporting methodologies used in its preparation. The first report, released in March, aimed to offer a full list of the counties and cities that have turned down ICE requests, but it included misleading data. This resulted in defiance and confusion for law enforcement officials from the named jurisdictions.
Nisha Agarwal, the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs for New York City, says that the city was incorrectly listed as uncooperative when it responded to requests from ICE to detain those wanted for violent crimes. Nassau County is among others to complain about their inaccurate inclusion on the list, for which officials have already apologized.