Since 1989, the city of San Francisco has maintained a strict sanctuary policy that specifically defines when city workers, including police officers, can contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding an individual’s immigration status. Notification from state and local law enforcement officials is one of the primary ways that ICE detains undocumented immigrants on deportation charges. The Board of Supervisors of San Francisco voted unanimously last month to clarify the city’s sanctuary policy, even as outside government leaders have criticized the city for its policy in the wake of the July 2015 killing of a woman by a Mexican national. Sanctuary policy supporters reportedly were pleased with the recent vote, despite the concession to release information to ICE regarding certain felons. However, outside critics, including Donald Trump, have been quick to condemn the city’s policy, even after clarification by city leaders. As a general rule, San Francisco’s sanctuary policy provides that police officers only can notify ICE when an individual is charged with a violent crime and is someone who has been convicted of a violent crime within the last seven years. However, the clarified measure does permit the sheriff’s department to contact ICE in limited cases involving a defendant charged with a felony, if he or she has been convicted of other felonies in the past. More specifically, the sheriff can release information to ICE if an individual has been charged with a felony and either convicted of one serious felony or three other qualifying felonies in the past. The Oakland deportation defense attorneys of Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C., will assist you with all phases of your deportation proceedings, irrespective of their complexity or length. We are well-equipped to investigate your case, assess your situation, and decide upon the strongest defenses that are available to you. Our law firm focus all of its efforts on defending you and your loved ones in deportation proceedings, and we have knowledge that will be an essential key to your success in your removal case. Call us today and arrange an initialappointment with our California immigration law attorneys. Para Espanol haz click aqui!
