The 2024 election should have been a wake-up call for Democrats in Washington—a clear rejection of their open-borders agenda. But instead of recalibrating, they’ve doubled down by embracing policies that protect even violent illegal immigrant gang members. It’s as if they’ve completely abandoned any concern for the safety or interests of their own constituents.
While national Democrats continue to ignore the will of the people, a shift is happening at the local and state level. Case in point: New Hampshire.
The Granite State just became the first in New England to ban sanctuary cities—dealing a major blow to one of the left’s most reckless policies. If this trend continues, sanctuary jurisdictions may soon be relegated to the dustbin of history, where they’ve always belonged.
"There will be no sanctuary cities in New Hampshire, period, end of story," Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte declared Thursday at the bill signing ceremony. That's the kind of definitive action we're seeing more states take as the sanctuary city house of cards finally collapses.
Recommended: The Democrats' Anti-Electoral College Scheme May Be Imploding
New Hampshire joins what Ayotte described as "a growing number of states in banning sanctuary cities," and the momentum is clearly building. These jurisdictions that "put some limits on cooperating with efforts by federal authorities to deport illegal immigrants" are finding themselves increasingly isolated as common sense prevails.
The writing was on the wall during the 2024 election cycle. Ayotte made banning sanctuary cities a centerpiece of her successful gubernatorial campaign, with the brilliant slogan "Don't Mass up New Hampshire," which was a direct shot at Massachusetts' billion-dollar immigration disaster. Voters responded enthusiastically to her message.
Ayotte won the governor’s race in New Hampshire in 2024 despite Kamala Harris winning the state, and clearly her anti-illegal immigration message resonated.
"I campaigned on making sure we would not have sanctuary cities here in New Hampshire, and we don't want to go the way of Massachusetts that has had a billion-dollar illegal immigration crisis," Ayotte told Fox News Digital.
But this isn't just happening in isolation. President Trump's return to the White House has accelerated this trend dramatically. His recent executive order "putting some muscle behind his threat to pull federal funding from sanctuary cities" is forcing local governments to choose between their progressive virtue signaling and their federal funding. Guess which one they're picking?
Obviously, the financial pressure is working. As Ayotte noted, she supports "legal immigration, but when people aren't following our laws, we need to enforce our laws and this is about public safety." More governors are reaching the same conclusion as their constituents demand action.
The GOP-dominated New Hampshire legislature passed the bills mostly along party lines, with state Sen. Bill Gannon emphasizing the measures would "make us an even safer place to work, live, and raise a family." State Rep. Joe Sweeney was even more direct: "We are taking the handcuffs off our law enforcement officers, and hopefully they'll be able to work with our federal government, ICE, to put the handcuffs on the criminal illegal aliens that are violating and disobeying our laws."
Naturally, Democrats are panicking. State Rep. David Meuse called the legislation "a politically manufactured campaign of state terrorism against a group of people, the vast majority of whom came here not to victimize America, but because they love America and they believe America is good."
Tell that to the families of Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Rachel Morin.
Ayotte's response perfectly captured the shifting political landscape: "I don't understand where the Democrats are on these policies." Neither do most Americans, which explains why sanctuary cities are becoming political poison.
With Trump in the White House, federal funding on the line, and states like New Hampshire leading the charge, sanctuary cities aren't just fading—they're racing toward extinction. And good riddance.
