The U.S. Department of Justice has republished a list of “sanctuary jurisdictions”— naming East Lansing, among others. The list includes more than a dozen states, four counties and eighteen cities nationwide.
The DOJ has not provided a clear explanation for the list’s return, which had been taken down two months ago after backlash from groups including the National Sheriffs’ Association. The previous list, issued by the Department of Homeland Security in May, identified hundreds of jurisdictions including East Lansing, Ann Arbor and several Michigan counties.
All of the other Michigan communities are no longer included in the current update.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement the department “will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country.”
The DOJ says it has already filed lawsuits against several jurisdictions and claims, following legal threats, the mayor of Louisville agreed to end the city’s sanctuary status.
The East Lansing City Council voted in 2023 to become a sanctuary city. The measure states city police will not assist federal authorities to solely enforce immigration law.
According to the DOJ, jurisdictions may be classified as sanctuary areas if they restrict federal immigration funding, limit ICE detainer cooperation or establish offices to assist undocumented residents.
WKAR reached out to the City of East Lansing for comment but has not yet received a response.
Below is the DOJ’s list of states, cities, and counties they identified as sanctuary jurisdictions as of August 5, 2025:
STATES:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New York
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
COUNTIES:
- Baltimore County, MD
- Cook County, IL
- San Diego County, CA
- San Francisco County, CA
CITIES:
- Albuquerque, NM
- Berkeley, CA
- Boston, MA
- Chicago, IL
- Denver, CO
- East Lansing, MI
- Hoboken, NJ
- Jersey City, NJ
- Los Angeles, CA
- New Orleans, LA
- New York City, NY
- Newark, NJ
- Paterson, NJ
- Philadelphia, PA
- Portland, OR
- Rochester, NY
- Seattle, WA
- San Francisco City, CA
