Cities and counties across America are expressing relief at their removal from an error-riddled Department of Homeland Security list of so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions that had made them potential targets for President Trump’s ire.

Out of some 400 counties and 100 cities that appeared on the original list in May, just four counties and 18 cities remained on a revised list released by the Department of Justice last month. Many of the deleted jurisdictions are in deep-red regions that voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Trump.

Among the municipalities removed from the list is the town of Leonia at Bergen County, where officials voiced surprise and outrage when they learned that their suburban community had been singled out. 

The list “claimed that jurisdictions like ours are ‘endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,’” Mr. Ziegler, a Democrat, said in a message to Leonia residents. “That description does not apply to Leonia in any way.” 

In a subsequent  statement this month, Mr. Ziegler stressed that the town’s policies “have always complied with federal cooperation standards, and it is reassuring to see that this has been formally recognized. … Most importantly, Leonia remains a welcoming community.”

Sanctuary policies, under which local law enforcement personnel are asked or ordered by municipal authorities not to cooperate with federal immigration agents, have been targeted for retaliation by Mr. Trump and his administration.

In a statement accompanying the latest list of jurisdictions, the attorney general, Pam Bondi, said those policies “impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design.”

She continued: “The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country.”

Among the few remaining cities on the list are Democratic strongholds such as Boston, Portland, San Francisco, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey.

The only remaining counties – out of the original 400 – are Baltimore County in Maryland, Cook County, Illinois, and San Diego and San Francisco Counties in California. It is not clear why the second list was released by the Justice Department rather than DHS.

The backlash in Leonia echoed outrage in municipalities across the country, where authorities claimed that they were wrongly identified as sanctuary municipalities.

Mayors in Boise, Idaho, and the San Diego area publicly challenged their cities’ inclusion.

“To be clear – Boise is not a sanctuary city,” Mayor Lauren McLean said to BoiseDev, adding the city is welcoming to everyone.

Officials at the city of Vista, San Diego County, California, also expressed their shock.

“It’s definitely a surprise. I think it’s a simple mistake,” Mayor John Franklin said to KPBS. “The city of Vista has made its position clear. We’re not a sanctuary city.”

City Attorney Heather Ferbert in San Diego suspected a political motive in the inclusion of dozens of California cities and counties on the original list.

“This is going to be used as additional threats and fear tactics,” she told a local news outlet. “To be honest, when you go and look at the California jurisdictions that are and aren’t on the list, there’s not a lot of rhyme or reason as to why somebody is included and some other city isn’t.”

Colorado officials mounted such strong resistance that the city of Aurora managed to get itself removed from the original list before it was published.

“As we have said many times over the last few years, the city of Aurora is not and has never been a ‘sanctuary city,’” Aurora city hall spokesman, Ryan Luby said in a statement to ABC Denver7.

The initial list, which was taken down just days after being published, was prepared in response to an April 28 executive order from Mr. Trump directing federal and state officials to identify jurisdictions defying the administration’s immigration policies.

The administration has turned sanctuary cities into ground zero for immigration enforcement, deploying ICE agents for sweeping operations in Los Angeles, Boston, and beyond. These raids served as dramatic demonstrations that federal authority wouldn’t bow to local defiance.

Despite campaigning on tough immigration reforms, Mr. Trump has found his deportation and border security initiatives under constant legal challenge. Democratic legislators and federal judges repeatedly blocked his attempts to remove criminal immigrants and better secure America’s borders.