Federal Probe Into S.F. Sanctuary City Policy
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Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, October 4, 2008
A federal grand jury is investigating whether San Francisco’s policy of offering sanctuary to undocumented immigrants violates U.S. laws against harboring people who are in the country illegally, city officials say.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera said his office has hired a criminal defense lawyer to represent employees who might be questioned or asked for documents. He and Mayor Gavin Newsom said they would cooperate with the investigation.
San Francisco, like about 80 other U.S. cities and five states, has a law prohibiting the use of its funds to help enforce federal immigration law or to question individuals about their immigration status. The San Francisco ordinance, originally prompted by arrivals of refugees from Central American wars of the 1980s, specifies that police can report jailed felons to federal immigration authorities.
The Chronicle reported earlier this year that San Francisco juvenile justice authorities, interpreting the sanctuary policy, had flown some illegal immigrant youths to their home countries after Juvenile Court judges found they had committed felonies. Other youths were sent to unlocked group homes in this country and escaped.
The policy of not referring juvenile offenders to federal immigration authorities had been in place for at least a decade. Newsom announced in July, after the first Chronicle articles appeared, that he had halted the flights in May and told city officials to start turning over youthful felons as well as adults to immigration officers for deportation.
Herrera’s office was notified of the investigation several weeks ago when the grand jury issued a subpoena for documents. It’s not clear whether prosecutors are seeking evidence of possible criminal violations by city officials. Herrera issued a prepared statement but did not answer questions about the investigation, and U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello—who has been a vocal critic of the city’s policy—had no comment, said spokesman Joshua Eaton.
Herrera’s statement said his office would “cooperate fully with the U.S. attorney’s inquiry involving individuals in city custody who may be undocumented.”
{snip}
(Posted on October 6, 2008)
Comments
I’m glad for this, for one reason alone: If a white city in Mississippi would have made itself a “sanctuary city” for white civil rights violators when the victims are black, i.e. the town had a rule to where its cops could not participate in FBI investigations thereof, the FBI would have already rode cowboy into the town, and arrested the officials who voted for such a rule, and enforced such a rule, and the U.S. Just-Us Department would draw up charges of conspiracy/obstruction.
This isn’t exactly that, but at least it’s something.
Posted by Question Diversity at 5:53 PM on October 6
I don’t see why someone should not sue SF for violating our civil rights. They refuse to enforce the immigration laws because they are baised in favor of Latinos. They are discriminating against US citzens in favor of foreigners because they like their skin color.
Posted by hugo at 5:55 PM on October 6
What is there to investigate? Send Newsom and his cronies to Folsom for violating federal laws. I love to be there for his first shower…
Posted by GetBackJack at 6:31 PM on October 6
It took the original article for me to understand the investigation is against the LEAKERS, not over the lawfulness of sanctuary status itself. A federal investigation aimed at whistleblowers on those who violate federal law. Can it possibly get any sicker?
Posted by nokangaroos at 7:25 PM on October 6
Everybody pray they find San Francisco to be in violation of federal law in this matter and that charges are filed.
Maybe if SF gets their ship blown out of the water, then that will start a movement against all the other cities to eliminate their insane sanctuary policies.
Posted by at 7:35 PM on October 6
“A federal grand jury is investigating whether San Francisco’s policy of offering sanctuary to undocumented immigrants violates U.S. laws against harboring people who are in the country illegally, city officials say.”
This should really be a no-brainer for them to to figure
out. But then again who in “our” government has any brains ?
Posted by Dr. Caligari at 8:12 PM on October 6
“Grand Jury Investigates whether SF policy violates laws against harboring illegals”
This is pure and unadulterated INSANITY. It is deception and it is dishonesty of the highest order. Title 8, Section 1325 of the United States Immigration Law Code, answers the question concerning the illegality of harboring,transporting, or in any way, expediting the stay of a foreign national illegally(without official papers of premission) inside this nation. It’s all one big criminal farce carried out by The Chambers of Commerce, with the help of their whores the politicians.
Posted by Bobby at 8:22 PM on October 6
I’ve said all along and millions agree that sancturary cities that protect illegal invaders at the expense of American taxpayers need to have their city employees who participate in this illegal activity jailed and the federal Gov’t needs to bring in federal troops bring about law and order and to deport invaders. To allow cities to openly break federal law is creating anarchy. It may be the nation state is collapsing. I believe the federal Gov’t is breaking federal law by not protecting the sovereign rights that our constitution is there to protect. And this is creating the seeds of revolt. I am afraid of what we will face in the next few years.
Posted by Elrey Jones at 10:47 PM on October 6
This occures to late for Bolonga familiy, father and sons slain on the steets of SF by ms13 gangster. SF city officials protected thugs like ms13 with their stupid laws They should be jailed.
Posted by von Stecker at 11:00 PM on October 6
“The San Francisco ordinance, originally prompted by arrivals of refugees from Central American wars of the 1980s…”
In other words, SF started this “sanctuary city” nonsense to flip the bird at then-President Reagan, who was, in the view of insane Bay Area communists, taking the wrong side of the conflicts in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Reagan, of course, supported the anti-communist Contras; so idiotic lefties in SF and elsewhere naturally had to do the opposite by supporting and empowering the Contras’ enemies in the Sandinistas, the FMLN, etc.
And when the Contras’ fighting power started making life too dangerous for the Sandinistas and the FMLN, and the little Guevarista thugs needed to skip town, their pasty-faced self-flagellating liberal sympathizers in the Bay Area were only too happy to give them shelter. (And welfare and housing and food stamps and every other damn thing.)
Therefore, SF’s reprehensible and federally illegal “sanctuary city” policy not only serves communistic goals in the present day — i.e. the ruination of traditional Anglo America with a superabundance of illiterate, non-assimilating mestizo sluggards — that policy turns out to have been INITIATED to serve communistic goals. So the very notion of a “sanctuary city” policy is communist TO THE CORE.
I’m not religious so I don’t pray. I’m not superstitious either — but I am keeping my fingers crossed that the feds are going to administer a severe legal beating to the traitorous Mayor Newsom and his commie cronies.
Posted by The Incredible Shrinking White Man at 10:27 AM on October 7
It’s time to end this nonsense. America for Americans. Write your elected representatives and remind them that:
1. The United States Must Secure Its Borders.
2. We Must Hold Employers Accountable For The Workers They Hire. No Temporary Worker Program is needed. We have tens of millions of able bodied citizens in this country living below the poverty line and the magnet of jobs and free social care must end for non-citizens.
3. We Must Bring Undocumented Workers Already In The Country Out Of The Shadows… and send them home.
4. We Must Promote Assimilation Into Our Society By Teaching New Immigrants English And American Values.
5. End Chain Migration and Restore Legal Immigration Levels to Conservative Norms..
Finally, won’t you consider joining Numbers USA at http://www.numbersusa.com/ and taking the time to help save our nation? It’s worth it. I promise.
Posted by Unemployed WASP at 10:32 AM on October 7
Last time I studied law, it was illegal for anyone to harbor a criminal. Is this another example of the “dumbing down”?
Posted by Trisket at 12:46 PM on October 7
“San Francisco juvenile justice authorities, interpreting the sanctuary policy, had flown some illegal immigrant youths to their home countries after Juvenile Court judges found they had committed felonies”
______________________________
This constitutes obstruction of justice, and possibly facilitation of escape, depending on the specific circumstances of the juvenile’s sentences after they were adjudicated guilty. My question is, why did it take until now for there to be an investigation?
Posted by at 1:20 PM on October 7
Ditto, Bobby. What is there to investigate? The city proudly boasts of its non-compliance. The paper trail of the actual orders to city employees not to enforce federal law or cooperate with federal authority is page one news. Investigations are a waste of time and money when the criminals have already confessed. Arrest them all.
Posted by Edward at 3:01 PM on October 7
My take on the article was not that the feds are investigating the leakers. At this stage, they are merely issuing subpoenas for ducuments which may incriminate non-leakers. Accordingly, City Attorney Dennis Herrera has hired a criminal defense lawyer to protect SF officials who may have criminal behavior to hide; i.e. that they have participated in a city policy of harboring illegal alien fugitives from justice.
The leakers are meanwhile being investigated by the State Attorney’s Office (not the feds) for having leaked confidential juvenile court documents to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Posted by Michael C. Scott at 3:08 PM on October 7
This might be a long struggle but the thing we need is for our Federal and State Govenments to stop sending money to cities like SF until they get rid of their sanctuary policies. That would end this nonsense real quick.
Posted by hugo at 4:20 PM on October 7
Maybe when these wonderful criminals start to “pop off” some lesbians, and homo’s, the people of SF might change their minds. after all, who will pay the mayor’s salary once these other folks are gone? Certainly not those undesirables!
Posted by lucylou at 1:23 PM on October 8