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Supervisors unanimously update sanctuary-city policy to add narrow exceptions and new procedures
Summary
After negotiations with Sheriff Hennessy and immigrant-rights advocates, the Board amended and unanimously passed revised sanctuary-city and due-process language clarifying exceptions for notification/detention and adding procedural safeguards.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved amendments on May 24 to the city’s sanctuary-city policy that update when local law enforcement may respond to federal immigration notification or detention requests.
Supervisor John Avalos introduced the amendment, and Vicki Hennessy, the San Francisco Sheriff, worked with supervisors and advocates to negotiate specific carve-outs and procedural safeguards. The measure removes obsolete language from the 1989 ordinance and aligns local practice with changes in federal immigration enforcement.
Key exceptions added or clarified in the adopted language include: (1) an exception permitting notification/detention when an individual has been convicted of a serious felony within five years immediately before the date of notification; (2) an exception for individuals convicted of three felonies subject to the Trust Act within five years; and (3) a narrowly defined procedure that permits notification when a magistrate has found probable cause of a qualifying felony — providing a judicial-probable-cause requirement before local cooperation. The sheriff also secured a requirement for limited reporting and for case-by-case review procedures.
Supervisor Avalos framed the update as a response both to changes in ICE practice (including an emphasis on priority notifications rather than the older S.Com holds) and to recent local concerns about trust between communities and law enforcement after high-profile officer-involved shootings. “This ordinance ... is updating our sanctuary city policy, our due process for all ordinance, to meet changes that have been made in federal immigration enforcement,” Avalos said.
Sheriff Hennessy said the negotiated language establishes a "long, rigorous process" and praised the collaboration, saying the changes aim to protect families while preserving public safety.
The board voted 11–0 on the amended ordinance.
Ending: Supervisors and the sheriff said they would continue communication with immigrant-rights organizations and monitor implementation; the board directed the sheriff’s office to follow the new procedures and provide the reporting required by the ordinance.
