The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is not letting Mayor Gavin Newsom have his way on the problem of how to deal with undocumented immigrant youths detained on felony charges, the San Francisco Appeal and other news sources report.
The board, which approved the “Confidentiality of Juveniles’ Immigration Status” ordinance in October, planned to overturn the mayor’s veto of the legislation during a City Hall meeting Tuesday.
Introduced by Supervisor David Campos, the legislation requires authorities to wait until undocumented youths are convicted, before turning them over to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
While Campos argues that his legislation would ensure due process for immigrant youths, the San Francisco Chronicle has reported that Newsom says it goes against federal law and cannot be enforced.
The issue has stirred debate among legal experts who question whether current federal laws compel state and local officials to turn in those suspected of being in the country illegally, according to the Chronicle.
San Francisco’s sanctuary policy prevented city employees from helping ICE in the past, but last summer Newsom agreed to turn over undocumented juveniles with felony offenses after the U.S. attorney reportedly accused the city of “harboring criminals.”
