Local News

Newsom Confronts Backlash Over 'Sanctuary' Policy

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP) ― San Francisco's mayor said Thursday it was his view that the city's sanctuary laws were never intended to shield immigrant drug dealers from criminal prosecution, and reiterated that juvenile offenders would now be turned over to federal immigration authorities.

"If you commit a felony, we will not become a safe harbor for you," Mayor Gavin Newsom vowed.

The decision represented a reversal of nearly 20 years of San Francisco policy that had been "misguided" and "costly" for the city, said Newsom, adding "we've stopped it because it's inappropriate."

The former policy for dealing with minors came under fire last month, when the city had tried to prevent eight young Honduran crack dealers from being deported by federal officials by housing them at a Southern California group home. The move embarrassed Newsom's administration when the boys simply walked away from the facility in San Bernardino County.

Local government officials in the conservative Inland Empire have reacted with anger, charging San Francisco with treating their communities as a "dumping ground."

"Why am I having to deal with San Francisco's issues? said Michael Ramos, San Bernardino County's district attorney, at a news conference Thursday. "I understand they have a safe haven and that's fine for their community but keep it in the community. Don't push it on us. That's what has me outraged."

"This almost inconceivable practice is a direct assault on the people of San Bernardino County by the City of San Francisco," added San Bernardino Supervisor Gary Ovitt. "We intend to make it clear that our community is no one's dumping ground."

"They're right, it won't be, we agree," replied Newsom in an interview with CBS 5 later Thursday. "We ended the policy as soon as we found out we were sending people down there. When I found out, I ended it."

Under a resolution passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1989, the city does not cooperate with federal immigration investigations, a move designed to encourage undocumented aliens to feel safer reporting crimes or taking advantage of city services.

Adults who commit crimes were clearly exempted from any protection, but the situation of minors was unclear under the rule, said Jeff Adachi, San Francisco public defender.

"We're charged with looking out for the best interest of the child, regardless of their country of origin," Adachi said.

Turning over a minor for possible deportation did little to ensure "a positive outcome," while contacting the family and returning the child to them, which was the city's approach, had better results, he contended.

The mayor said he'd been working on new guidelines for dealing with young offenders since May 16, when he learned that under the loophole in the sanctuary policy, minors who committed crimes were being flown home or housed at the city's expense.

"I can't explain away the past, I can only take responsibility for when I found out and the actions we took," Newsom told CBS 5.

He said the city had spent $2.3 million to house 162 illegal immigrant youths since 2005, and an additional $38,955 to fly juvenile offenders to Honduras, the U.S. territory of American Samoa, and Mexico over the last two years.

Federal immigration officials met Thursday with the city's juvenile probation department to outline how they'd work together going forward, said Newsom, who insisted the decision to reverse the policy was not political.

"There was a loophole, and we're working with ICE to come up with the appropriate protocol," said Newsom. "No other mayor had tackled this, we're the first administration in 20 years to take responsibility and move in a different direction."

The uproar over San Francisco's 'sanctuary' tactics cast a shadow over Newsom's announcement earlier this week that he was forming an exploratory committee for a potential gubernatorial bid in 2010.
 
When asked how the flap might impact a bid to be California's governor, Newsom told CBS 5: "This has nothing to do with politics."

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)