Louisville changes one of its immigration policies to be removed from the sanctuary city list

Louisville, Kentucky's largest city, is changing its policy on immigration detention to be removed from the list of sanctuary cities.

As a result of Department of Justice requirements, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg assured Tuesday that 48-hour detention will be reinstated for “inmates who are arrested for crimes, are booked in our jail and are subject to deportation notices”.

The goal is to provide federal officials with enough time to take custody of detainees. Failure to do so could result in the city losing federal funding.

"Louisville risks losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants if we remain classified as a sanctuary city," Greenberg said. "Many of those funds are used to provide food, rental assistance and health care to our most vulnerable residents. I won't risk harming them either."

According to the Kentucky Lantern, Louisville was the only city in Kentucky to appear on a list of 500 'sanctuary jurisdictions' released earlier this year by the Department of Homeland Security, alongside four counties in the state.

According to Greenberg, by reinstating the 48-hour hold in correctional facilities, "Louisville will no longer be considered a sanctuary city by the federal government."

On Tuesday morning, Attorney General Pam Bondi told X that Louisville was "abandoning its sanctuary city policies as a result of a strong written warning," calling it "a major victory for the Department of Justice."

The attorney general also said, "This should serve as an example to other cities. Instead of forcing us to sue them - which we will do, without hesitation - comply with the law, get rid of sanctuary policies and work with us to solve the illegal immigration crisis."