Officials insist Lyon County wrongly labeled a sanctuary for illegals
The Center for Immigration Studies recently updated what’s widely viewed as an authoritative list of sanctuary jurisdictions under the following criteria.
These cities, counties, and states have laws, ordinances, regulations, resolutions, policies, or other practices that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield criminals from ICE — either by refusing to or prohibiting agencies from complying with ICE detainers, imposing unreasonable conditions on detainer acceptance, denying ICE access to interview incarcerated aliens, or otherwise impeding communication or information exchanges between their personnel and federal immigration officers.
Once again, Lyon County in southwestern Minnesota, made the list of sanctuary counties, to the apparent consternation of local authorities. The Star Tribune also included Lyon County in a list of sanctuary jurisdictions in a recent story, based on the Center for Immigration Studies map. Yet Lyon County officials maintain in the Marshall Independent they’re baffled by the label.
Lyon County is one of several southwest Minnesota counties that has been called an immigration “sanctuary county” by outside groups. But county officials say they don’t know how they got that label.
“No action has been taken on the county board level to declare the county a sanctuary,” Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen said.
It’s a touchy subject these days with the crackdown on both illegal immigrants and officials who obstruct ICE operations, following the massive influx of aliens under the Biden administration. Several more Minnesota counties were also included on the national organization’s list.
On its website, the Center for Immigration Studies listed Lyon County, along with Lincoln, Pipestone, Nobles, Cottonwood, Jackson, Watonwan and Kandiyohi counties, on a map of “sanctuary” jurisdictions in Minnesota. The website linked to an ICE report from June 2024, listing jurisdictions that did not fully cooperate with releasing noncitizens into ICE custody, or sharing certain information with ICE officials.
“I’m not sure why they have labeled us the way they have,” Wallen said.
Wallen said the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is willing to assist law enforcement partners like ICE, and the Sheriff’s Office and Lyon County jail have complied with requests for information. But the county jail can’t detain people solely on a request from ICE.
“Minnesota judges have ruled that that alone is not proper,” Wallen said.
Local authorities say they face legal pressure from both sides, following a lawsuit in nearby Nobles County.
Wallen said detaining people without a warrant or criminal charges could also expose the county to lawsuits.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota sued Nobles County over the practice of keeping jail inmates until they could be transferred to federal custody. In 2020, a judge ruled that the Nobles County Sheriff’s Office could not detain inmates after they were already eligible for release in state cases.
County officials say the America First Legal Foundation started by President Trump’s now Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also contacted them about the issue.
In December, the organization sent [Lyon County Administrator Loren] Stomberg a letter. The six-page document said Lyon County had been “identified as a sanctuary jurisdiction that is violating federal law,” citing the same June 2024 ICE report linked to by the Center for Immigration studies.
The AFL letter went on to say, “Such lawlessness subjects you and your subordinates to significant risk of criminal and civil liability. Accordingly, we are sending this letter to put you on notice of this risk and insist that you comply with our nation’s laws.”
“We don’t know why we got sent that,” he said.
Lyon County has never declared itself to be an immigration sanctuary, he said.
Nevertheless, it’s clear local and state authorities will be under increased scrutiny by the feds, as well as the illegal immigrants subject to deportation.