Critics say San Francisco police may have improperly assisted ICE during SFO detainment

By Kenny Choi

Videos showing ICE agents detaining a woman at San Francisco International Airport Sunday night are fueling new questions about whether San Francisco police officers improperly assisted in immigration enforcement.

The San Francisco Police Department says officers responded to a 911 call at the airport, but insists none of its officers assisted ICE agents.

Witness videos show ICE agents arresting Angelina Lopez-Jimenez while a child stands nearby. In the footage, a line of SFPD officers appears to separate onlookers from the federal agents as Lopez-Jimenez is handcuffed and detained. The officers are not seen physically restraining her, but appear to form a barrier between the crowd and ICE agents. Later, officers are also seen walking alongside the agents as Lopez-Jimenez is taken away in a wheelchair.

Angela Chan, an attorney with the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and a former member of the San Francisco Police Commission, says that role alone may have crossed a legal line. Chan, who helped write the city’s sanctuary policies and state laws limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, says she believes the video shows officers actively helping ICE.

“They are clearly assisting,” Chan said. “They’re creating this human barricade to allow ICE to take this woman, this mother and her daughter, away.”

Chan said the public safety exception did not appear to apply in this case.

“There was no danger posed in the video,” she said. “People were outraged by what they saw, but there was no violence, there was no danger, and so it didn’t appear that SFPD had any other reason to be there besides assisting with immigration enforcement.”

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said Tuesday the city remains committed to its sanctuary laws.

“What we continue to tell everyone is our long-standing sanctuary city policies remain intact,” Lurie said. “We will not aid nor interfere.  It was an isolated incident.”

SFPD did not agree to an interview Tuesday but said in a previous statement that officers were responding to a 911 call and stayed at the scene to maintain public safety. The department stressed that it does not assist in the enforcement of civil federal immigration laws.

Legal experts said the incident highlights the gray area local police can face when responding to incidents involving federal immigration authorities. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson said critics may face a challenge in proving officers crossed the line.

“I think the argument for critics that San Francisco police was helping can be a bit of a difficult argument to make,” Levinson said. “Because police officers do have leeway, and in fact, an obligation, to try and keep surrounding areas safe for other people.”

But Chan said the officers’ presence and actions appear to have gone beyond crowd control.

“It seems like they were giving special treatment to ICE, and they were assisting ICE with something that had nothing to do with criminal law enforcement,” she said. “They’re assisting ICE with immigration enforcement. That’s the definition of what’s prohibited by sanctuary.”

A coalition of immigrant rights advocates is expected to rally in front of SFPD headquarters Wednesday. Organizers say they also plan to file a public records request seeking more information, including how many officers responded and what other department resources were used during the incident at SFO.