New York vs. West Virginia: A sanctuary case study

Published February 6, 2026 4:56am ET



Enforcing federal immigration law is the remit of the federal government alone, per Supreme Court precedent — the court famously ruled against Arizona’s efforts to step up enforcement at the state level during the Obama administration — but said enforcement is a more efficient and safer process for everyone involved when state and local authorities cooperate with the feds. This is basic common sense.

Even in blue Minnesota, the epicenter of the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement firestorm in recent weeks, where two American citizens have been shot and killed in the unrest, a new poll from KSTP and Survey USA, which contains a number of negative findings for the Trump administration, shows that voters there understand the basic utility and wisdom of cooperation. In response to the question, “Should state/local authorities help with immigration enforcement?” a double-digit majority of Minnesotans, 50%-36%, responded in the affirmative.

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