or the feds at the very least should deny all federal funding for that country.
Mayor: City would ignore legislation if it were to pass
PDF | Email
Justin Jouvenal, The Examiner
Apr 7, 2006 9:00 AM (7 hrs ago)
SAN FRANCISCO - Mayor Gavin Newsom said Thursday that The City will not comply with any federal legislation that criminalizes efforts to help illegal immigrants.
The mayor also denounced a bipartisan congressional proposal that would beef up border security and allow as many as 12 million illegal immigrants to gain legal status.
Newsom, who has not been afraid to wade into controversial national issues such as gay marriage, appeared with a group of elected officials on the steps of City Hall to support immigrants, âdocumented as well as undocumented.âNewsom also signed a resolution sponsored by Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, and passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors, urging San Francisco law enforcement not to comply with criminal provisions of any new immigration bill.
âSan Francisco stands foursquare in strong opposition to the rhetoric coming out of Washington, D.C.,â Newsom said. âIf people think we were defiant on the gay marriage issue, they havenât seen defiance.â
It is not the first time San Francisco has weighed in on the immigration issue. In 1989, the Board of Supervisors made San Francisco a âCity of Refuge.â The ordinance forbids city resources from being used to enforce federal immigration laws or to gather or disseminate information regarding the status of residents of The City. The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution reaffirming the ordinance in January.
The bill at issue is H.R. 4437, a House measure that would make it a crime to be in the United States illegally or offer aid to illegal immigrants. It also would enlist military and law enforcement to help stop illegal immigration, require employers to verify the legal status of workers and build new fences along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Thursdayâs press conference came shortly after a group of bipartisan U.S. senators announced they reached a compromise on their version of immigration legislation, which would not criminalize illegal immigration or assisting illeglal immigrants.
Newsom said he was disappointed with Democratic leaders for agreeing to the compromise and that he supported a more immigrant-friendly bill that was put forward by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, which was part of the basis of the compromise legislation.
Newsom and other city officials also derided U.S. House of Representatives bill 4437, which calls for building a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border and criminalizing groups that provide aid to illegal immigrants.
âNational-origin discrimination is the civil rights issue of our time,â said Rodel Rodis, a member of the City College board and an immigration attorney. âI could go to jail because of helping illegal immigrants.â
Mayor: City would ignore legislation if it were to pass
PDF | Email
Justin Jouvenal, The Examiner
Apr 7, 2006 9:00 AM (7 hrs ago)
SAN FRANCISCO - Mayor Gavin Newsom said Thursday that The City will not comply with any federal legislation that criminalizes efforts to help illegal immigrants.
The mayor also denounced a bipartisan congressional proposal that would beef up border security and allow as many as 12 million illegal immigrants to gain legal status.
Newsom, who has not been afraid to wade into controversial national issues such as gay marriage, appeared with a group of elected officials on the steps of City Hall to support immigrants, âdocumented as well as undocumented.âNewsom also signed a resolution sponsored by Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, and passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors, urging San Francisco law enforcement not to comply with criminal provisions of any new immigration bill.
âSan Francisco stands foursquare in strong opposition to the rhetoric coming out of Washington, D.C.,â Newsom said. âIf people think we were defiant on the gay marriage issue, they havenât seen defiance.â
It is not the first time San Francisco has weighed in on the immigration issue. In 1989, the Board of Supervisors made San Francisco a âCity of Refuge.â The ordinance forbids city resources from being used to enforce federal immigration laws or to gather or disseminate information regarding the status of residents of The City. The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution reaffirming the ordinance in January.
The bill at issue is H.R. 4437, a House measure that would make it a crime to be in the United States illegally or offer aid to illegal immigrants. It also would enlist military and law enforcement to help stop illegal immigration, require employers to verify the legal status of workers and build new fences along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Thursdayâs press conference came shortly after a group of bipartisan U.S. senators announced they reached a compromise on their version of immigration legislation, which would not criminalize illegal immigration or assisting illeglal immigrants.
Newsom said he was disappointed with Democratic leaders for agreeing to the compromise and that he supported a more immigrant-friendly bill that was put forward by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, which was part of the basis of the compromise legislation.
Newsom and other city officials also derided U.S. House of Representatives bill 4437, which calls for building a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border and criminalizing groups that provide aid to illegal immigrants.
âNational-origin discrimination is the civil rights issue of our time,â said Rodel Rodis, a member of the City College board and an immigration attorney. âI could go to jail because of helping illegal immigrants.â