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The board of supervisors is putting San Francisco's status as a sanctuary city above the safety of its citizens by arguing that illegal immigrant minors who are arrested for felonies should not be reported to immigration authorities until after conviction.
 The City of Refuge law, passed in 1989, aimed to protect refugees of Central American countries fleeing their civil war-wracked countries after they were denied federal asylum. It was amended in 1992 to exclude criminal suspects from protection. Since that time, the law has prevented police from questioning non-criminal individuals about their immigration status, thus allowing otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants to remain unreported.
The law was not intended, however, to shelter felons. The Board of Supervisors argues that immigrant minors should remain unreported until after conviction, claiming that "innocent" youth will be threatened by deportation. In the United States, everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but illegal immigrants are already guilty of a crime, the crime of living illegally in the United States. Although the City of Refuge law was crafted with positive intentions to shelter victims of civil war, illegal immigrants who commit felonies violate this protection and should be reported to the proper authorities.
Supporters of the Board of Supervisors argue that many minors who are arrested for felonies are not dangers to their community, but will be unfairly deported under Newsom's provision. However in 2007, for every 1,000 youth in San Francisco, 12.2 were arrested on felony charges for violent offenses - more frequent charges than for drug offenses or property offenses. This makes violent offenses the most common reason for felony arrest. To protect the safety of San Franciscan citizens and prevent criminals from reoffending, the city should not adhere to the new Board of Supervisors' mandate. By allowing violent criminals to remain unreported to immigration authorities, the Board of Supervisor's law gives them the opportunity to commit more crimes, which are often even more dangerous.
The case of Edwin Ramos is an example of the danger citizens are exposed to when felon minors are not reported to the proper authorities. Ramos, a native of El Salvador and an alleged gang member, was found guilty of attempted robbery and assault on a MUNI passenger when he was 17, and was detained a few years later for having a gun in his car that had been used for a double homicide. Despite his felony convictions, Ramos was allowed to remain in America. On June 22, 2008, he opened fire with an AK-47 from his car, killing
Anthony Bologna and his two sons, Michael and Matthew, who were driving home from a friend's barbeque. San Francisco is a City of Refuge, but not a refuge for criminals. By allowing Ramos to illegally remain in the United States and subsequently kill three innocent men, the sanctuary law failed to protect citizens.
Ultimately, protecting from deportation the few illegal immigrant minors who may be innocent of felony arrests for does not overshadow protecting innocent citizens from violence by relapsed criminals who should have been reported to immigration authorities. The Board of Supervisors' decision should not be allowed to stand.
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