SF plans to direct $1.8 million in supplemental funding toward immigrant legal defense as ICE arrests rise across the Bay Area, bolstering services that help detained immigrants challenge their arrests and connect with legal support.
Supervisor Jackie Fielder made the announcement at a rally on the steps of City Hall Tuesday, which was attended by more than 100 supporters and elected officials, including six members of the Board of Supervisors, as Mission Local reports.
“We are here today because a demagogue in the White House is deploying ICE agents to terrorize and intimidate vulnerable communities ahead of an election,” Fielder said.
Fielder’s proposed $1.8 million would reportedly fund immigration attorneys, accompaniment to ICE appointments, and the city’s rapid-response hotline. According to Mission Local, The Bay Area Habeas Network, whose attorneys have secured the release of dozens of detained immigrants through habeas corpus petitions, would receive $125,000.
Hillary Ronen, former supervisor and executive director of La Raza Centro Legal, which co-founded the network, told Mission Local that organizations could begin planning to hire staff, though distributing the money could take months.
“I am elated. It is an unprecedented win,” Ronen said.
It announcement came a day after a video showed several ICE agents detaining a man in SF's SoMa neighborhood. According to KQED, ICE also detained multiple people in Alameda County, including someone who was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland and was still receiving care Tuesday, the hospital confirmed.
Two ICE agents were also reportedly spotted by public defenders in the lobby of the San Francisco jail Tuesday.
Mission Local reports that six immigration arrests have occurred across the Bay Area in the past week, and four involved physical force, including people being pulled from cars, slammed onto the ground, and handcuffed so tightly that they experienced pain. Two arrests resulted in hospitalizations.
Jonathan Abel, who directs the Habeas Institute at UC Law San Francisco, told Mission Local ICE appears to be making more arrests at homes, during traffic stops, and at workplaces, rather than primarily at immigration courthouses and scheduled check-ins, which may be driven partly by pressure to meet a reported nationwide target of 3,000 arrests a day.
Fielder said the proposal had unanimous support from supervisors and Mayor Daniel Lurie. Board President Rafael Mandelman waived the usual 30-day waiting period, allowing a vote as soon as November 4.
“We will defend our sanctuary city. Not just in words, but in action,” Fielder said.
Previously: SF to Hold Immigration Services Rally Tuesday After ICE Detains Man in SoMa
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