A majority of the Board of Supervisors rejected a resolution that called for Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi to rescind his so-called gag order on communication with federal immigration authorities.
The nonbinding resolution, introduced by District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell, was both an affirmation of the current policies as well as a poke at Mirkarimi, whose interpretation of sanctuary policies came into question following the murder of Kate Steinle on Pier 14; an undocumented immigrant, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, has been charged with that killing.
Farrell’s resolution was rejected after six supervisors voted against it, and defenders of Mirkarimi’s policy were blunt in their comments, with District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen accusing Farrell of “grandstanding.”
Following the vote, Farrell issued a strongly worded response expressing his disappointment and accusing opponents of his measure of voting “against the public safety” of city residents.
“I firmly believe in our sanctuary city policy, which has been a pillar of our public safety approach in San Francisco for decades, but we must be clear that it was never intended to shield serious criminals from legal consequences,” Farrell said in a statement.
“Today’s vote was a slap in the face to everyone in San Francisco who truly cares about protecting vulnerable immigrants and the public safety of our city’s residents,” said Farrell. “I am deeply disappointed that some of my colleagues chose to vote down a common sense public safety measure.”
