San Francisco Revises Policy on Reporting Juveniles to ICE

Rachel Gordon writes for the San Francisco Chronicle:

 
San Francisco no longer will report to immigration authorities juveniles suspected of being in the United States [in unauthorized status] when they are arrested on a felony charge if they can show they have family ties to the Bay Area, are enrolled in school and are not repeat offenders, Mayor Ed Lee said Tuesday.

The edict creates a middle ground between the hard-line position of Lee’s predecessor, Gavin Newsom, who directed city law enforcement officers to report all arrested juveniles to federal authorities for possible deportation, and the Board of Supervisors, which backed a more liberal policy.

Supervisors passed a law in 2009 intended to prevent the city from automatically cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless the juvenile had been convicted of a felony – not just arrested. Newsom vetoed the law and the board overrode the veto, but he refused to enforce it.

“I’ve had to take care in balancing the issue of public safety and also due process,” Lee said.

He said his policy, revealed during his “question time” before the Board of Supervisors, reflects the spirit and values of San Francisco’s 22-year-old city sanctuary policy, which aims to create a safe refuge for immigrants, whether documented or not.

Lee’s policy, which will be carried out by the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department, was met with a combination of appreciation and disappointment by immigrant rights advocates and supervisors who back the more liberal policy adopted by the board but blocked by Newsom.

“It’s a bittersweet moment,” said Angela Chan, staff attorney for the Asian Law Caucus, for which the mayor once worked. “We appreciate Mayor Lee for taking a great first step, but it doesn’t go far enough.” Read more…

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