Enforcing Nonenforcement: Countering the Threat Posed to Sanctuary Laws by the Inclusion of Immigration Records in the National Crime Information Center Database

The largest federally-maintained database of criminal information, known as the National Crime Enforcement Center (“NCIC”) increasingly includes records related to criminal and civil immigration violations. This article address the unrecognized harms of the NCIC’s inclusion of immigration records and demonstrates that the NCIC effectively compels local enforcement of federal immigration laws in contravention of locally adopted measures restricting the role of local authorities in immigration enforcement. Three policy proposals for improving the effectiveness of local policies restricting immigration enforcement are outlined.