Then-Louisville Democratic mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg speaks during a news conference in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
The mayor's reversal comes after the DOJ warned in a letter last month that Louisville's detainer policy hindered the Trump administration's ability to crack down on immigration there. The DOJ told Greenberg non-compliant states and cities have faced legal action and freezes on federal funding.
Detainer policies are one of the most common reasons that cities become designated as sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) uses detainer forms to notify jails that federal authorities have identified a possible illegal immigrant in local custody that ICE wants to detain. Sanctuary jurisdictions have policies in place to ignore those notices.
In the case of Louisville, the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections was not honoring the 48-hour period ICE requested to hold suspects, thereby releasing the suspects from custody before ICE could arrest them.
The revelation of Louisville's policy shift comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi mentioned Tuesday morning in an X post that the city was "dropping its sanctuary city policies," though she did not mention details.
TWO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONNECTED TO CBP AGENT SHOOTING ENTERED US ILLEGALLY UNDER BIDEN
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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"This should set an example to other cities," Bondi said. "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 DOJ has also brought immigration-related lawsuits in New York, Chicago, Colorado and elsewhere, though judges have not weighed in on the merits of the government's arguments at this stage of litigation.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/louisville-mayor-shifts-citys-immigration-policy-after-legal-threat-from-doj