Former Secretary of Homeland Security Slams Sanctuary Cities as ‘Irresponsible’ at IOP

Former Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas condemned sanctuary cities as “irresponsible” in a Wednesday Institute of Politics forum, criticizing Democratic mayors and governors who refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities.

In his first public appearance since leaving office in January, Mayorkas — who headed the Department of Homeland Security under President Joe Biden — said that cities had “a responsibility to protect the safety of one’s residents” by turning over unlawful immigrants who present a public safety threat.

The comments come as sanctuary cities — areas that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officers — face increasing scrutiny from the Trump Administration. Earlier on Wednesday, the mayors of four major Democratic cities including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 were questioned in front of Congress for their policies.

In her testimony, Wu rejected calls from Republican lawmakers to change Boston’s status as a sanctuary city, placing blame on Congress for failing to pass bipartisan legislation to address immigration.

Though Mayorkas did not endorse Trump administration policies that would let immigration officials enter doctor’s offices and places of worship, he unequivocally defended arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers for unlawful immigrants with criminal records.

“Why — after that individual’s criminal justice sentence is served — why would a city leader release that individual onto the streets and refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities?” Mayorkas asked.

“That is something I fought,” he added.

During the panel discussion, which was moderated by Juliette Kayyem, a senior lecturer at the Kennedy School and former President Barack Obama’s Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs, Mayorkas struck a moderate tone, arguing that his tenure “upheld our nation’s identity as one of laws as well as one of immigrants.”

During his time in appointed office at the DHS, that stance made Mayorkas a target of criticism from both sides of the aisle. He was impeached in February 2024 by House Republicans for “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and breach of public trust.

But his efforts to slow the border surge — including a June 2024 measure that made it harder for immigrants to seek asylum — were also criticized by Democrats as “restrictive,” Mayorkas said.

Though Biden signed more executive orders on immigration during his presidency than any other administration, illegal border crossings soared from less than 1 million in 2019 to 2.2 million in 2022. During Biden’s four years in office, deportations also rose to over 270,000, surpassing the record set in Trump’s first term.

“I would look at it in the context of the realities of migration; those realities are very different in 2024, and 2025, than they were in 2015,” Mayorkas said, defending the Biden administration’s policies.

Mayorkas attributed the country’s ongoing immigration problems to a lack of “enduring” litigation, saying that temporary executive action could only do so much.

He went on to say that immigration should not be used as a “political cudgel” and that governors often use “vulnerable migrants as pawns to sow discord.”

But Mayorkas also recognised fears that the Department of Homeland Security could be dismantled under the Trump administration, adding that such a decision would “be a tragedy.”

“The Department of Homeland Security is rare because it has a statutorily created office of civil rights,” he said. “We have safeguards in place to assure that security is achieved.”

—Staff writer Elise A. Spenner can be reached at elise.spenner@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @EliseSpenner.

—Staff writer Will P. Cottiss can be reached at will.cottiss@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X at @WillPCottiss.