Sanctuary City and Los Angeles
Posted on July 28, 2008
Filed Under Criminal Law, Drugs, Law, News, Weapons |
San Francisco has some legislation and policies under it’s current mayor, Gavin Newsom, which shields illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities, thus making San Francisco a “sanctuary city” in a sense. However, many pundits have accused the city and Mayor Newsom of creating a sanctuary city for criminals, as a number of violent and drug crimes have occurred at the hands of individuals who are in the United States without being citizens.
For example, in a recent case, a 21-year-old undocumented Salvadoran immigrant pleaded not guilty to murdering a San Francisco man’s brother-in-law and two nephews in a case that has galvanized sentiment nationwide against this “sanctuary city” and its ambitious mayor.
Because of the city’s sanctuary policy — enacted in 1989 — local agencies do not consider immigration status when dealing with young offenders and therefore did not check whether Ramos was in the country legally.
The alleged murderer was also arrested March 30 on a weapons violation, along with an alleged gang member riding in his car. After he spent several days in jail, authorities decided to file charges against the other man but not him, and Ramos was released, said Eileen Hirst, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Deportation proceedings against Ramos could have been initiated but were not because of an apparent mix-up between the federal Immigration, Customs and Enforcement Agency and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, which runs the jail.
Hirst said jail officials notified ICE two times that they had Ramos in custody but were told there was no government detainer against Ramos.
This has become a developing situation, because the mayor of San Francisco is interested in running for California governor.
The same week that Newsom announced he was exploring a run for governor, he overturned the part of the policy that shielded convicted juvenile drug offenders who were illegal immigrants from federal authorities.
Instead of handing them over for deportation, city officials for years would escort the young offenders back to their home countries or place them in unsecured halfway houses. This summer, several escaped from facilities in San Bernardino County and other regions.
On Tuesday, Newsom ordered “a top-to-bottom review” of the sanctuary policy, to ensure that “in every case we are complying with applicable federal and state law,” said Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for the mayor.
One day later, however, ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers wrote to Newsom demanding greater access to San Francisco jails. She requested the kind of cooperation her agency has with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which works with ICE to screen for undocumented inmates in its jails.
Criminal activity involving non-citizens has been an issue throughout California for decades. As some cities have attempted to adjust their policies to be more compassionate, not all have adjusted those policies properly when it came to violent crime or drug trafficking. Many individuals found guilty of these crimes would be deported in other states, however in California this is often not the case and many individuals are upset over the matter.
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