Supervisor trying to keep San Francisco a sanctuary city

September 24, 2015
David Campos

David Campos

Despite national outcry over an illegal immigrant allegedly murdering Cal Poly grad Kate Steinle, a supervisor is pushing for San Francisco to keep its status as a sanctuary city. [Mercury News]

San Francisco Supervisor David Campos introduced a resolution Wednesday urging the city not to participate in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program in which law enforcement personnel notify ICE officials about illegal immigrants before they are released from custody. The ICE campaign is called the Priority Enforcement Program.

Campos said the program damages confidence in local law enforcement among immigrant communities and leads to civil rights violations. It also risks the separation of families or scapegoating immigrants, Campos said.

San Francisco has kept a sanctuary city law on the books since 1989. In 2013, the city also passed the Due Process for All ordinance which prohibits law enforcement from holding individuals on an immigration detainer after they become eligible for release from custody.

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi cited the ordinance as justification for the release of Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, who is accused of killing Steinle. Lopez-Sanchez allegedly shot Steinle in the back while she was walking with her father on Pier 14 on July 1.

Kathryn Steinle

Kathryn Steinle

Lopez-Sanchez has been deported to Mexico five times. San Francisco sheriff’s personnel released him from jail in March after prosecutors dropped a 20-year-old marijuana case against him.

Lopez-Sanchez had recently been in federal custody. But, federal officials transferred him to local custody on a warrant in the marijuana case.

Campos also introduced a resolution calling on San Francisco law enforcement agencies to develop policies for checking to see whether warrants have expired and for checking if prosecutors are likely to file charges before a suspect is transferred into city custody.

Additionally, Campos said he plans to introduce an ordinance next week requiring all law enforcement personnel to keep their guns securely locked when they are off-duty.

The gun used in the Steinle shooting was a service weapon that belonged to a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ranger, the BLM has confirmed. The gun was stolen days before the shooting.

Steinle’s death has ignited a national debate over the concept of sanctuary cities and federal restrictions that bar local law enforcement from handing off illegal immigrants to ICE. Jim Steinle, Kate’s father, testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, urging lawmakers to abolish local policies of ignoring ICE detainers.

Last week, the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee passed a resolution opposing participation in ICE’s Priority Enforcement Program. Campos is urging the board of supervisors to follow suit.


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David Campos was an illegal immigrant from Guatemala at age 14 along with his mother and father. His bio states that he does have permanent residency in the US, but I couldn’t find anything that says he is a US citizen. Is he a US citizen? That would explain a lot about his favoritism of illegals, even criminal illegals, over US citizens.


It’s hard for me to believe that Gavin Newsom would appoint him to the Board of Supervisors without US citizenship, but this is San Francisco.


Someone told me months ago that a good number of representatives in Sacramento were not legal citizens. I said that is impossible you have to be a citizen to represent the people of this state. Now, my information may be correct. No wonder we have all this crap going on in Sacramento.


Anyone see where the legislation wants to be a SURCHARGE on Property Tax – Prop 13 of 2% if your house is over $3 Mil. These people already pay a surcharge on income tax for several projects: mental health, health care, etc.


50% or more of Americans (legal and illegal) are getting some type of assistance from our government, Pretty soon, we will all need assistance!


Trump would have these lawless legislators in front of a judge post haste. There is not enough money in Sacramento to pay me off if one of my loved ones were to be harmed by a sanctioned illegal alien. Start dragging their rear ends into court.


I have no issue with San Francisco or anywhere else acting as a sanctuary city. It has been going on for years and the idiot Feds should know by now that the need a WARRANT to get SF to detain anyone (as it should be). The fact that Ms. Steinle was a Poly Dolly is irrelevant to the story.


The fact that a productive US citizen and taxpayer, minding her own business, was killed by an uneducated/unskilled, non tax paying drug user/dealer and thief, 5 times deported, incarcerated in Texas at taxpayer expense, bottom of the barrel criminal should be relevant to you.


Or simply put, kill all the taxpayers and who takes care of all the derelicts?


I personally resent your use of the term Polly Dolly for all the women graduates of Cal Poly, especially in the case of Kate Steinle who needlessly died at the hand of a criminal you obviously think should be protected. Do you honestly think that a San Francisco judge is going to issue a warrant to detain an illegal alien for ICE.


I hope that California starts passing massive taxes for wine, wineries, and vineyards to pay for our illegal immigrant population. Vineyards should be required to pay at least the minimum wage for employees, provide health care, and sick leave and vacation to all their workers. They should be checked during the picking season for safety requirements, and fined for hiring illegal workers. This is only fair in California where communities now have to pay for what should be provided by the employer. Vineyards are part of our problem in SLO County using illegal immigrants for work, and using up our ground water (except for the dry farmers.)


No problem, just cut all their Federal Aid and let them swim in their sin. Works for me, let them support all the illegals that want to fled to S.F.


Thumbs up!


WHAAAAAT? Supervisor Campos is a trader! I still am so angry about all the “mulligans” given to ILLEGAL aliens. There SHOULD NOT be ANY sanctuary cities and we need to, since we’ve been such push overs, be ENFORCING our laws to the fullest extent. If 30 years ago we hadn’t been so passive about the illegal population we may not created such a problem. NONETHELESS, by no means, means we have to continue the bad behavior. We have to quit dangling the “carrots” out there for people who figure “oh heck, why not come to America, illegallly, when there are cities I can go to where they won’t do anything”. So stupid! Would love if they had a city I could go to if I didn’t PAY MY TAXES and there’d be NO CONCEQUENCES! And, the busines about “living in the shadows” is such a farce…come ON, they are in our schools, our hospitals our banks…!! Supervisor Campos should be thrown out of office and get a real job – where he’s not feeding at a government trough.


So these democrats learned NOTHING? Wow. I have no problem with people coming to America and doing good things, but it must be done above board and legally. Why create a haven for those hell bent on evil?


Learn about Dave here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Campos


I love his quote “every person has the right to a hearing before being punished and is innocent until proven guilty.” Is that really true David? Are illegal aliens here “innocent?”


Email David.Campos@sfgov.org if you want to get involved.


What is the motivation for lawlessness from officials sworn to uphold the law? It baffles me.