SubscribeSF Promises City Services To Illegal Aliens
From those champions of the rule of law at the San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F. promotes services for illegal immigrants
Cecilia M. Vega, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, April 3, 2008
A series of new television and radio commercials, billboards and bus shelter signs will soon go up around San Francisco advertising the fact that the city by the bay is also a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.
City officials on Wednesday unveiled the $83,000 ad campaign, which features images of smiling residents and the iconic city skyline and spreads the message in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian. Brochures, which will be handed out in public buildings like police stations and hospitals, promise safe access to city services for the undocumented and a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy when it comes residency status.
"We are standing up to say to all of our residents: We don’t care what your status is," Mayor Gavin Newsom said. "We care that you, as a human being, are a resident of our city and we want you to participate in the life of our city." …
But the campaign precedes the city’s plan in August to begin issuing municipal identification cards to city residents - regardless of whether they are in the country legally. Officials said they not only want immigrants to know about San Francisco’s sanctuary city policy, they want city workers, business owners and others to know the same…
Police Chief Heather Fong said officers will report undocumented immigrants if they have a felony arrest, but otherwise, "we do not work on enforcing immigration laws."
San Francisco became a sanctuary city in 1989 and since then it has barred city employees from helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with immigration investigations or arrests, unless help is required by a federal or state law or a warrant.
It is the city’s formal policy to not report illegal immigrants to federal immigration agents when they visit public health clinics or hospitals, enroll their children in school, report a crime to the police or seek other city services or apply for benefits…
Newsom, a Democrat who is considering running for California governor in 2010, made headlines last year when he said he would not allow city department heads or "anyone associated with this city" to cooperate in federal immigration raids. Wednesday he said no other issue he has championed has received a more negative reaction from the public than his sanctuary city stance - "and that includes gay marriage."
"Until we get it right in this country on immigration, until we come to grips with the reality of newcomers from around the world … then it is appropriate to protect our citizens, to protect our residents and to protect our families," Newsom said.
Newsom made the announcement in his City Hall office, alongside a coalition of high-profile city leaders, from the police and fire chiefs to city department heads and representatives from churches and community groups.
The city recently created a position for an "immigrants rights administrator" to work with city agencies so that employees understand the sanctuary city policy and how to better serve immigrant communities.
City Administrator Ed Lee called San Francisco’s new sanctuary city ad campaign "not only the liberal thing to do, it’s the responsible thing."
¡Ay, caramba!
In the words of that old Negro spiritual, "we shall be overcome."
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9 Responses to “SF Promises City Services To Illegal Aliens”
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April 3rd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Crap. I guess I better go learn Spanish.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
How come you never hear someone bring up the number of “children who could get health care” with this type of money waste? Maybe it is only the money spent in Iraq that can be used for kid health care?
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Mayor Newsom says… “Until we get it right in this country on immigration, until we come to grips with the reality of newcomers from around the world … then it is appropriate to protect our citizens, to protect our residents and to protect our families….”
How about protecting the “legal citizens” from rape, murder, gangs, drugs dealers and higher taxes mayor?
I think it’s time to cut federal funding to SF. Hell, all of the west coast.
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
“he said he would not allow city department heads or “anyone associated with this city” to cooperate in federal immigration raids.”
The federal government needs to get straight on our immigration policy, that much is true…I say the logical first step is to stop any federal funding going to any “sanctuary cities”. Education, transportation…anything that San Francisco gets money from Washington for should be cut off until their official position changes. I wonder how quickly the mayor’s policy on assisting “federal immigration raids” would change then.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
“San Francisco became a sanctuary city in 1989″ Take back every dime of federal money that has gone to them since 1989.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
well, in my on going effort to attenuate the stupidity of people like those in San Francisco, I will re double my effort to expose all illegals I know of, and even those I dont. As long as SF does what they do, I feel it only right to fill the void of deportations left by their actions with actions of my own.
You wouldnt believe the ruckus caused when you walk onto a construction site and holler…”La Migra” about six times loudly. Contractor is suddenly devoid of “help”. I am sick of illegals getting preference over citizens. Until that changes, I wont stop being a thorn in the side of everyone who wants them to be de facto citizens……at my expense.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
It never gets easy for me to see just how far we’ve sunk. Laws are a joke to the Godless commies in that vulgar city but I suggest they keep it up. When we finally come to our senses we’ll know just where to round up the invaders and maybe we can accidentally-on-purpose deport (or whatever) some San Fransickos with them.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Let’s not even pretend San Francisco isn’t the model for the entire United States come next January, given all three candidates for President support this type of action.
Frankly the only people immigration laws keep out of the country now are law-abiding types.
April 4th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
BillK
“Frankly the only people immigration laws keep out of the country now are law-abiding types.”
That’s so true. Where is the sympathy for all those legal immigrants being denied the American dream?
I don’t know why the federal government would give this rogue city money but look what they got for doing just that. California, being a border state, is eligible for grants under the Southwest Border Prosecution Initiative. San Francisco claimed to have handled 2,241 drug related prosecutions and received $5.4 million in federal compensations. But an audit found all these cases were “unsubstantiated”.
My guess? They smoked the drugs and paid illegals $5.4 million to grow more.
From SFGate (I linked via Free Republic) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/.....PVU14S.DTL