Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told lawmakers Wednesday that sanctuary jurisdictions declined to turn over 17,864 illegal immigrants in local police custody to federal immigration authorities in 2025.
Noem provided the figure during a House Judiciary Committee hearing after Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked how often Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers had not been honored last year.
"17,864 detainers were declined," Noem said.
"Many of those people are out on the street, is that fair to say?" Jordan asked.
"That's correct," Noem responded.
ICE detainers are requests issued by federal immigration authorities asking state or local law enforcement agencies to hold individuals already in their custody for up to 48 hours beyond their scheduled release.
The additional time lets ICE officers take the individual into federal custody for possible deportation proceedings.
Sanctuary cities and counties are jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Noem argued that honoring detainers lets federal officers safely take custody of individuals already held by local authorities.
"When we have detainers that are honored, we can go into a courthouse, we can go into a jail or a prison and in a safe environment, take custody of that individual, take them to a detention center and remove them to their home country," Noem said.
"When they don't honor detainers ... hundreds and hundreds of times, thousands of times across the country, those individuals reoffend, and what they're doing by not honoring detainers is creating more victims."
Republican lawmakers on the committee said the figure highlights the impact of sanctuary policies that restrict or prohibit local officials from holding individuals for ICE unless a judicial warrant is provided.
Jordan and other Republicans have long argued that such policies allow individuals who may be in the country illegally, including those arrested for crimes, to be released back into communities instead of being transferred to federal immigration custody.
The issue has been a recurring point of contention between federal immigration authorities and some state and local governments that have adopted sanctuary policies.
Supporters of sanctuary policies argue they help maintain trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement, encouraging victims and witnesses to cooperate with police without fear that routine interactions will lead to immigration enforcement.
Critics say the policies undermine federal immigration law and can create public safety risks by preventing the transfer of individuals already in police custody to ICE agents.
The number cited by Noem came during a broader hearing examining the Department of Homeland Security's immigration enforcement policies and cooperation between federal and local authorities.
Lawmakers signaled that sanctuary policies and compliance with ICE detainers will remain a focus of congressional oversight.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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