The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has removed a list of so-called “sanctuary” municipalities after getting pushback from a major law enforcement advocacy group. The City of Kingston and Ulster County were among 500 jurisdictions targeted over policies that limit local police and other officials’ cooperation with immigration enforcement authorities.

The list, which appeared on DHS’ website Friday was accompanied by a press release from the agency which oversees the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division of Homeland Security Investigations. In it, DHS chief Kristi Noem said that the list was developed based on an April 28th Executive Order from President Donald J. Trump directing her and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to “identify and publicly highlight jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.” Trump campaigned on a promise of “mass deportation” of undocumented immigrants and has railed against jurisdictions that have policies of official non-cooperation with ICE.

In 2017, at the start of Trump’s first term, a divided Kingston Common Council passed a memorializing resolution designating Kingston as a “welcoming and inclusive city.” The resolution passed after fierce debate before a packed house in Common Council Chambers at City Hall. Despite the controversy, the resolution lacked the force of law and merely reaffirmed a longstanding policy that prohibited city police, who have no jurisdiction over immigration law, and other city employees from asking members of the public about their immigration status. In 2019 then-County-Executive Pat Ryan signed an executive order prohibiting county employees from sharing information about resident’s immigration status with the federal government unless required to do so by law.

As Trump’s second term got underway Mayor Steve Noble again singled the city’s commitment to protecting city residents from the immigration crackdown. In February, when ICE agents showed up in town and attempted to question or detain people at two homes and one business in Midtown Kingston, the city used it social media platforms to warn residents of the agency’s presence and publish a “know your rights” guide explaining how to handle encounters with immigration authorities. The move came after DHS rescinded longstanding guidelines prohibiting ICE activity in schools and churches that coincided with a nearly ten percent increase in absences by Latino students in the Kingston City School District.

A press release titled “DHS Exposes Sanctuary Jurisdictions Defying Federal Immigration Law” claimed that communities on the list would receive formal notifications of potential violations of federal criminal statutes and directed them to bring their policies into compliance with the law.

“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” said Noem. “We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law. President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law.”

But in a joint statement issued Friday, County Executive Jen Metzger and Kingston Mayor Steve Noble — both Democrats — said that they had received no such notification. Noble and Metzger also denied that city and county policies violated any federal law.

“We want to assure our residents that Ulster County and the City of Kingston are fully compliant with all federal laws, and any claim to the contrary is incorrect,” the statement reads. “We have not received any official communication from the federal government regarding the reasons our County and City and neighboring counties and cities appear on this list. Our commitment to public safety remains unwavering, as is our commitment to upholding the United States Constitution and the rights enshrined in it.”

But by Monday, the list — which also included New Paltz, Newburgh and Dutchess County — had been removed from the DHS website. The removal came after the National Sheriff’s Association, which has been generally supportive of Trump’s immigration initiatives issued a strongly worded statement calling publication of the list a breach of trust between federal and local law enforcement. In the statement, NSA President Sheriff Kieran Donahue of Canyon County, ID said that the list lacked transparency and was not accompanied by any guidance as to what constituted a violation of federal law or how jurisdictions should come into compliance with its demands.

The statement, issued Saturday, placed the blame on DHS officials alleging that the list represented a “terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country.” The statement went on to say that NSA representatives had met with DHS political appointees who could not explain how the list had been compiled or verified. It went on to call on DHS to immediately publish criteria for what constituted a sanctuary jurisdiction and provide “a legitimate reason” for scrutinizing agencies that do not cooperate with ICE or other federal agencies.

“DHS and the Administration should publicly denounce the report to demonstrate accountability,” the statement reads. “The Sheriffs of this country feel betrayed. The current list must be removed immediately, and DHS must release an apology to the Sheriffs and the American people.”

Trump administration officials have not commented on the removal of the list.