Washington, D.C. (April 9, 2025) – New data reveals the sanctuary jurisdictions that have most frequently failed to allow ICE to take custody of deportable aliens who were jailed in those locations. The information was obtained by the Center for Immigration Studies from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through a November 2024 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Between October 1, 2022, and February 6, 2025, more than 25,000 detainers were declined by these jails, and in more than 1,400 instances the jails failed to give adequate notification to ICE to take custody of the aliens.
“Sanctuary policies continue to undermine public safety in many communities, despite numerous tragedies, due to misunderstanding of immigration enforcement or, more likely, for political reasons,” said Jessica Vaughan, the Center’s director of policy studies. “They should face consequences for putting the public at risk.”
Key findings include:
- California accounted for more than half (52 percent) of all declined detainers, totaling 13.025.
- Illinois, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut also had especially large numbers of declined detainers.
- Detainers were declined by jails in 46 states and three U.S. territories (the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Marianas). Many of these states have laws prohibiting sanctuary policies.
- The jail with the highest number of declined detainers or insufficient notice to ICE was the main jail in Santa Clara County, Calif., which released nearly 3,000 criminal aliens during the period.
- Both Cook County Jail in Illinois and Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in Virginia released more than 1,000 criminal aliens during the period.
- A total of 72 criminal aliens with homicide convictions or charges were released during the period. The Illinois River Corrections Center and the Santa Clara County jails each released six convicted killers, and Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois released five.
The full report includes the following charts:
- Declined Detainers by Year
- Declined Detainers by State
- Top Jails for Declined Detainers and Insufficient Notice
- Location of Release of Aliens with Homicide Convictions and Charges
The Center’s sanctuary map displays a comprehensive list of the active sanctuary jurisdictions and policies.
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