‘Hell no, we are not’: Valley jurisdictions react to DHS sanctuary list

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Confusion has hit home for much of California’s Central Valley, as multiple cities and counties were recently deemed to hold ‘sanctuary designation’ by an online list published by the Department of Homeland Security.

Though that list has since been taken down, those entities included the cities of Fresno, Madera, and Huron, as well as the counties of Madera, Tulare, Mariposa, and Merced.

According to a statement from a senior DHS official sent to YourCentralValley.com, the designations are based on “numerous factors, including self-identification as a sanctuary jurisdiction, noncompliance with federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens.”

Now, local political and law enforcement leaders are speaking out, including Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke.

“I want to make sure that everybody in the world knows that, not only no, but hell no, we are not a sanctuary county, and if you come to this county thinking that, you are going to have a rude awakening,” Warnke said.

Warnke has been left wondering how this happened.

The same goes for Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, who said in a statement, “It’s unclear to me how the City of Fresno ended up on a Department of Homeland Security list of jurisdictions that allegedly have obstructed federal immigration enforcement. Fresno is not, by any definition, a sanctuary city.”

Dyer says they are now awaiting clarification from DHS.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux says his county will “never” be a sanctuary jurisdiction.

Warnke, meanwhile, doubled down and said whoever made the list didn’t do their homework.

“Somebody had their head where it shouldn’t have been when they were making this list,” he said. “I’ll tell everybody, if you mention Merced County in a sentence on any classification, you better have your facts straight.”

He said he wants it changed, and fast, and said he’s open to calls from anyone at DHS.

“My saying is, if they come from Mars, they’re going back to Mars,” Warnke added.

While the list is offline for now, the Department of Homeland Security says it is being reviewed constantly, can be changed at any time, and will be updated regularly.