SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Nearly a year after a shooting death along a San Francisco pier sparked a national debate on how the city handles criminal suspects in the country illegally, officials are considering a proposal that would clarify the guidelines under which federal deportation authorities could be contacted.
On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are to vote on a proposal that directs law officers to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement only if the person detained is charged with a violent crime and has been convicted of a violent crime within the last seven years.
Current San Francisco law contains leeway for city employees to contact ICE when they encounter people who are living in the country illegally and not in jail. For those in custody, the previous sheriff, Ross Mirkarimi, required federal officials to get a warrant or court notice to hold an inmate facing possible deportation and forbade staff from talking to immigration authorities.
The new sheriff repealed the communication ban, but the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department generally does not cooperate with ICE.
The vote comes after the shooting death of a 32-year-old woman walking along a San Francisco pier. Kate Steinle was shot by a Mexican national facing drug charges who had been released from San Francisco’s jail despite a federal request to keep him in custody for deportation. The backlash against city leaders was fierce.