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Local officials resist immigration sweeps
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Gerardo Sandoval is one of the sponsors of a resolution to condemn local Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. San Francisco has been a
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - In the wake of recent sweeps by immigration officers in San Francisco and on the Peninsula, officials are struggling to assure residents that local police are not cooperating with federal deportation efforts.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will weigh a resolution, sponsored by Supervisors Chris Daly, Gerardo Sandoval and Tom Ammiano, that condemns the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Meanwhile, the newly formed Redwood City Coalition for Immigrant Rights plans to bring a similar resolution to the Redwood City Council and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and perhaps create a “sanctuary” policy similar to San Francisco’s, in which law officers do not check residents’ citizenship status, according to Sheryl Bergman with the International Institute of San Francisco.
The San Francisco vote comes on the heels of a similar resolution sponsored by Supervisor Sean Elsbernd urging Congress to resume immigration reform talks abandoned last year.
“There are thousands of illegal immigrants living in the shadows, and our quality of life issues still affect them,” Elsbernd said. “They are here and by no means should we ignore them.”
Redwood City police officers and San Mateo County Sheriff’s officers already do not check immigration paperwork, but members of the coalition hope to make that message stronger, according to Bergman.
“A resolution would go a long way toward unifying the community and reassuring [residents],” Bergman said. “These are our neighbors, and we need to insist on policies that respect constitutional rights and public safety.”
Between Oct. 1, 2006, and Jan. 26, 2007, ICE officers arrested 838 people, 500 of whom had already received a deportation order from a judge and 338 of whom were newly entered into deportation proceedings, according to ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice. Those arrests included a number of San Mateo County residents, while ICE officers swept through a San Francisco meatpacking plant and have been seen checking papers in the Tenderloin, according to Renee Saucedo, attorney and organizer with La Raza Central Legal.
“We recognize the fact that local law enforcement has a very different mission from ICE,” Kice said. “But part of ICE’s mission is enforcing immigration laws, and people who are in the country illegally are subject to arrest.”
Redwood City parents kept children home from school recently after a mother was arrested and unable to pick up her children.
Enrollment levels began returning to normal last week, according to John Baker, assistant superintendent in the Redwood City School District.
Those arrests have sparked outcry from immigrant-rights groups and high-ranking politicians alike. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom decried the raids in a statement this month, while Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, told ICE in a letter that its efforts are undermining local police’s efforts to build trust within immigrant communities.
Immigrant-rights groups are planning a series of events this week in San Francisco.
Comments from Examiner Readers
10:39 AM MST on Thu., Sep. 18, 2008 re: "144 illegal immigrants arrested"
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5:58 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 13, 2008
re: "Phoenix Mayor Asks FBI to Check Sheriff"
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5:52 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 13, 2008
re: "Phoenix mayor calls on FBI to investigate immigration sweeps"
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4:31 PM MST on Sun., Apr. 13, 2008
re: "Phoenix Mayor Asks FBI to Check Sheriff"
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Genie said:
Our country needs to take actions to avoid problems, not the illegal immigrants.
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EXAMINER READER said:
Arizona FBI, please help the local county sheriff round up the illegal immigrants. We are tired of having to pay additional medical expenses (hospital, clinical, medications, ambulance, extra blood donations,) food stamp expenses, etc. for all of these illegal immigrants. Arizona FBI, our children's classrooms are full of illegal immigrant children, through the faults of their parents, however, this takes away from educational instruction from our children as well as your children and we are tired of this extra expense to the people of Arizona and the rest of the United States of America as well. This, after all is The United States of America and not little Mexico, or little Havana, or little Africa, or little any place else. FBI, please assist the local county sheriff.
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Examiner Reader said:
Of course dozens of illegal immigrants have been detained and should have been detained prior to entering the country. Is this mayor too afraid because he may have extended, illegal family in Arizona and he's trying to cover for them. Keep on rounding up the illegal immigrants as they are taxing us right into the ground with recession looming ahead of us.
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Examiner Reader said:
while not being a supporter of sherrif joe, i feel what he is doing is right. they are breaking the law no matter if it is a federal law or civil law. i think all officers should be able to detain any illegals and by going into a neighborhood mainly made up of hispanics will help(being most illegals are of hispanic origin). i also think that the feds should prosecute aclu and all those involved with stopping joe on charges of aiding and abetting fugitives of the law. by fighting for them they are supporting them for breaking the law. until the united states government wakes up and shows some guts, everyone will just walk all over us. example in germany we don't see aclu fighting for rights of people that are held in prison for something trivial like spitting on the ground. and how about in mexico where if you are white you get pulled over and have to pay the cops just to stay out of hjail. and that is by doing nothing wrong. i know i was there at one time.
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