Attorney General Pam Bondi posted to X about the city of Louisville, Kentucky dropping a sanctuary ordinance in order to fully cooperate with federal law enforcement immigration policies.
In a major victory for the Department of Justice, the city of Louisville is dropping its sanctuary city policies as a result of a strong written warning from my office.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) July 22, 2025
This should set an example to other cities. Instead of forcing us to sue you — which we will, without…
In a major victory for the Department of Justice, the city of Louisville is dropping its sanctuary city policies as a result of a strong written warning from my office.
This should set an example to other cities. Instead of forcing us to sue you — which we will, without hesitation — follow the law, get rid of sanctuary policies, and work with us to fix the illegal immigration crisis.
The process started back in June, when Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division Brett Shumate sent a letter to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, alerting him that Louisville was on their list of targeted sanctuary cities because of a 2017 ordinance adopted by the Louisville Metro Council.
The DOJ letter read, in part:
However. Louisville’s Ordinance provides that ‘{p]ublic safety officials may not question, arrest or detain any person for violations of federal civil immigration laws” (Ordinance § I(B)(1)(b)) and “[p]ublic safety officials may provide support to ICE only when a judicially authorized warrant exists.” Id. § I(B)(1)(c). These provisions conflict with, and are preempted by, 8 U.S.C. § 1226, 1357(d). By refusing to honor civil detainers expressly authorized by Congress and creating a de facto requirement that federal immigration authorities obtain a criminal warrant to arrest or take custody of a detained alien, Louisville has unlawfully created “an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives” of the federal immigration laws. Arizona v United States, 567 U.S. 387, 399 (2012) (quoting Hines v. Davidoii’itz, 312 U.S. 52, 67(1941)).
Furthermore, the Ordinance explicitly prohibits the Louisville Department of Corrections Q’LMDC”) from holding aliens to allow the Attorney’ General to take custody of them. This interferes with the INKs explicit mandate that the Attorney General detain aliens, especially those who fall within the Laken Riley Act’s expanded mandatory detention provisions. 8 U.S.C. § 1226(c)(1). It also interferes with federal regulations, which requires local law enforcement agencies to maintain custody of an alien for up to 48 hours when a detainer is issued. 8 C.F.R. § 287.7(d). To comply with federal law, LMDC must maintain custody of aliens subject to immigration detainers and allow for the safe and orderly transfer of the alien into federal custody.
Pressure was sufficiently applied. The DOJ outlined what was at stake, including the revocation of federal grants. Shumate ended the letter by giving Mayor Greenberg until July 14, 2025, to respond.
On Tuesday, Greenberg issued a press statement regarding the city's response to this letter. He was neither defiant nor combative in his address; he simply outlined the facts. Greenberg confirmed that Louisville would drop their adherence to the ordinance and reinstate the 48-hour detainers for inmates who are in the country illegally and have committed additional crimes.
I have been assured by the U.S. Department of Justice that, if we reinstate the 48-hour detainers for inmates who’ve been arrested for crimes, Louisville will be taken off the federal sanctuary city list.
Accordingly, Metro Corrections will begin honoring 48-hour federal detainers as soon as practical because the stakes are too high.
In turn, Louisville will no longer be considered a “sanctuary city” by the federal government. This change in designation is critical. Cities on the sanctuary city list right now are experiencing a terrifying increase in raids by ICE, including mass raids. Just look at what’s gone on in LA and other cities across the country.
That "terrifying increase" is of those mayors' own doing. Although Greenberg did not cast shade on his counterparts, it is clear he recognized how their actions played a part in the need for ICE raids, and what could be at stake should he also refuse to cooperate.
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Greenberg may also have reflected back to 2020 (before he was elected mayor), with the unrest from the shooting death of Breonna Taylor by a police officer, and the George Floyd riots, both of which hobbled the city and from which they are just now turning a corner. Noteworthy in Greenberg's statement is that he spoke with the leaders of Louisville's immigrant community about how to proceed.
I’ve talked with leaders within our immigrant community before I made this decision. I heard their fears loud and clear about current federal policies and ICE actions. I also heard that they want Louisville off the federal sanctuary city list. This change removes Louisville from that list.
Greenberg played it smart, rather than double down on stupidity. He appears to understand that he is the mayor of not just immigrants, but of native-born Louisvillans and other citizens who call the city home, who should not be subjected to chaos and unrest because of personal stances on how the federal government handles immigration.
We have tens of thousands of immigrant families in Louisville. We do not want to see highly coordinated and often violent federal enforcement action here, especially in workplaces, residential areas, schools, places of worship, parks, and other areas where law-abiding people gather. We do not want the National Guard occupying the streets of Louisville. I will not risk the safety of our broader immigrant community.
Greenberg also saw the dollars that would disappear should the city continue to hold this ordinance in place. Federal dollars that are supposed to help the citizens of the city. Why should taxpaying citizens be penalized because they have a mayor or a city council who wish to virtue signal their allegiance to Democrat Party foolishness and anti-Trump posturing, rather than the rule of law?
In addition, Louisville stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants if we remain classified as a sanctuary city. Many of those funds are used to provide food, rental assistance, and medical care to our most vulnerable residents. I will not risk hurting them either.
I believe we will best protect our law-abiding immigrant community and our entire city by focusing the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement actions on the few inmates in our jail who have been arrested for committing crimes and are subject to deportation.
I know these are uneasy times. As your Mayor, I pledge to continue to work together to protect our entire community, to listen, and to navigate our city’s best path forward regardless of what decisions are made in Washington.
Greenberg's full address covered his points well and serves as an example to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and other sanctuary city Democrat mayors who choose to fight Trump rather than serve ALL the people of their city.
WATCH:
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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