Louisville Shifts Immigration Detainee Policies Following DOJ Warning

The Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, announced on Monday that the city will revise its stricter policies regarding federal immigrant detainees, following a warning from the Department of Justice (DOJ) about potential legal action.

Democratic Mayor Craig Greenberg stated in a letter that this change aims to prevent the city from being labeled as a “sanctuary” city. He explained that by reverting to policies in place before 2017, Louisville would extend the notice period for detainees from a few hours to 48 hours, thereby no longer qualifying as a sanctuary jurisdiction. This adjustment, he believes, helps the city avoid possible negative repercussions and litigation related to federal preemption claims from the DOJ.

Last month, the DOJ alerted Louisville that its policies were hindering immigration enforcement efforts during the Trump administration, indicating that cities not complying could face legal actions and have federal funds frozen. Detainee policies are often the primary reasons behind cities being labeled as sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employs a detainer form to inform local jails of individuals identified as possible illegal immigrants, asking that they be held for federal custody. However, Louisville’s local corrections department previously did not comply with such requests, releasing individuals before ICE could act.

There were no further details provided following this policy change announcement by Attorney General Pam Bondy, who mentioned that Louisville was abandoning its sanctuary city policies.

“This should set an example for other cities,” Bondi commented. “We shouldn’t have to resort to suing; we need cooperation to tackle the illegal immigration crisis.” The DOJ, in addition to actions in Louisville, has initiated lawsuits against other cities, including New York and Chicago, though the merits of these cases have yet to be evaluated by judges.