A major American city is backing down on its sanctuary status after pressure from the Trump administration. Louisville is officially scrapping its sanctuary city policies, marking a significant shift in its stance on immigration enforcement.
Democratic Mayor Craig Greenberg announced Tuesday that the city will now comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) 48-hour detainer requests. The move comes after the Department of Justice informed Louisville it was violating federal law.
“I’ve been assured by the U.S. DOJ that if we reinstate the 48-hour detainers for arrested inmates, we’ll be removed from the federal sanctuary city list,” Greenberg said in a press release. “Metro Corrections will begin honoring those detainers immediately — the stakes are too high.”
There’s no official definition of a “sanctuary city,” but the term generally refers to jurisdictions that refuse to assist ICE — from blocking detainer requests to withholding arrest and release information. Louisville had followed that playbook since 2017.
Under standard protocol, when an illegal migrant is arrested, their information is flagged in a national database. A detainer request from ICE then asks the local jail to hold the individual for up to 48 hours so federal agents can assume custody before release.
Greenberg noted that Kentucky’s Department of Corrections already honors 48-hour detainers — and so did Louisville until 2017. But with ICE raids escalating and millions in federal funding at risk, the city is reversing course.
“This change in designation is critical,” the mayor said. “Cities currently labeled as sanctuary are seeing a terrifying rise in ICE mass raids. And Louisville stands to lose hundreds of millions in federal grants if we don’t comply.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the turnaround. “This is a major DOJ victory,” she said. “Let this be a warning: if your city refuses to drop sanctuary policies, we will sue. Follow the law, or face the consequences.”