The San Jose mayor is urging the Santa Clara County Board of Directors to put the county’s policy of ignoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement holds on the agenda following the high-profile death of a woman gunned down in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant.
Mayor Sam Liccardo sent the letter July 10 to the board’s president, Dave Cortese, saying he disagrees with the county's current policy of ignoring ICE hold requests for "deportable individuals who have committed serious of violent felonies.”
The debate on “sanctuary cities” reignited nationally after the July 1 shooting of Kate Steinle at San Francisco’s Pier 14, allegedly by an undocumented felon. The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation last week, which would punish these cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Liccardo’s letter was greeted with opposition locally. San Jose Councilman Raul Peralez told the San Jose Mercury News that Liccardo’s letter “undermines his work as a champion for the Office of Immigrant Affairs.”
Liccardo wrote that he wants this conversation to restart to ensure the community’s safety. He concludes that, “we can better serve our immigrant communities, and we can ensure that all hard-working, law-abiding immigrants - documented or undocumented- can achieve their dreams of creating a better life for their children.”
