Huntington Beach mistakenly added to sanctuary city list from Homeland Security

Huntington Beach city leaders do not hide their support for President Donald Trump and his policies. So, when their town ended up on a sanctuary city list, accused of defying federal law, the mayor didn't mince words. 

"It's pure negligence," Mayor Pat Burns said. "It's government, unfortunately, at its best. That's how we have such a bad reputation."

The Department of Homeland Security published the list to identify sanctuary cities and counties deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration law. La Puente, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Malibu join Huntington Beach on the list. However, Santa Ana, the first Orange County to designate itself as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, was notably absent on the list. 

Huntington Beach declared itself a "non-sanctuary city" after President Trump's inauguration. 

"In January, we submitted a declaration, and our council voted 7-0 to support that our city, Huntington Beach, is a non-sanctuary city," Burns said. "It's pretty simple. Huntington Beach first we want the full effect of every law enforcement agency that we can have."

Burns believes Homeland Security will amend its list. He hopes someone will be held accountable for the mistake. 

A DHS spokesperson said the list will be actively reviewed and can be changed at any time.