Board splits over urging sheriff to rescind memo; supervisors unanimously oppose PEP as amended

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Oct. 20 debated whether to urge the sheriff to rescind a February 2015 departmental memorandum limiting communications with federal immigration authorities and whether the city should refuse participation in the federal Priority Enforcement Program (PEP). After several hours of debate, the board voted 6-5 to table an urging resolution about the sheriff's memo (item 12). Later the board unanimously adopted a separate resolution (item 14), as amended by Board President London Breed, calling on the sheriff not to participate in PEP except as allowed under existing city law.

Supporters of the board's nonbinding resolution opposing PEP said the federal program, which focuses on notifications instead of hold requests that previously had been used by ICE, would undermine trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement and thereby harm public safety. "If our community saw that the sheriff's department was…