San Jose mayor urges county to revise policy on ICE holds
Source: San Jose Mercury News
SAN JOSE -- Nine days after a woman was gunned down in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant felon whom city authorities had released without notifying federal authorities, Mayor Sam Liccardo sent a letter to county officials urging them to reconsider a similar policy that he believes frustrates deportation efforts.
"Contrary to the purposes served by other immigrant-focused initiatives we've supported, any policy that hastens the release of predatory criminals makes us all less safe," Liccardo, a former county prosecutor, wrote in his July 10 letter to Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Dave Cortese. Liccardo asked the board to publicly discuss the policy -- the second attempt since 2011 to revise it.
But immigrant rights advocates are criticizing the mayor, saying his letter flies in the face of Liccardo's recent effort to create an Office of Immigrant Affairs, which helps immigrants navigate city services, transition into the culture and integrate into the economy.
Lisa Maria Castellanos, policy and organizing director at Sacred Heart Community Service, said one major goal of the Office of Immigrant Affairs was to improve the immigrant community's relationships with police, but the mayor's letter sends the opposite message.
Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_28551845/san-jose-mayor-urges-county-revise-policy-ice
