San Francisco supervisors approve ordinance declaring “ICE Free Zones” on city property
By Tim Fang
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has approved an ordinance prohibiting federal immigration operations on city property, joining other Bay Area jurisdictions.
On Tuesday, the board unanimously approved what was dubbed the “ICE Free Zones” ordinance, authored by supervisors Bilal Mahmood and Chyanne Chen.
“When immigration enforcement shows up at or near public facilities, we know what happens: people disappear from services, kids miss school, witnesses don’t report crimes, and the City can’t do its job,” Mahmood said in a statement.
According to the board, the measure prohibits any entity from commandeering city property that disrupts the city’s operations. The measure also clarifies that the use of city property to assist the enforcement of federal immigration law is not a city purpose.
Under the measure, the city attorney would be authorized to take legal action against any entity engaged in the unlawful or unauthorized use of city property.
“This legislation is a necessary piece in upholding our Sanctuary City commitments. We will not stand for ICE to use our public properties to aid their harassment or terrorization of San Franciscans,” said Chen.
San Francisco has had a Sanctuary City ordinance in place since 1989, which prohibits city employees from using city funds or resources to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in enforcing federal immigration law unless such assistance is required by federal or state law.
The city also approved a measure in 2013 which limits law enforcement in giving ICE advance notice of a person’s release from jail, along with prohibiting cooperation with ICE detainer requests, also known as “ICE holds.”
Sanctuary policies have been a target of the Trump administration, which has filed multiple lawsuits against more than a dozen Democratic-led states, counties and cities over the policies since last year. Most of the lawsuits remain pending in federal courts across the country.
City officials said similar legislation has passed or is in the works in Alameda County and Santa Clara County, along with the cities of Oakland, Richmond and San Jose.
