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Immigrant Rights Group says Identification Card Delay a Step Backward

Los Angeles, CA: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson abruptly announced this week that the long-awaited program to offer identification cards to all city residents regardless of their immigration status will be delayed until more facts about the legality of the program are learned. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) expressed strong dismay that one of the most progressive cities in the United States was taking a step back from common sense public policy.

"We are deeply disappointed to learn that a pragmatic, caring Administration has chosen to bend to the pressure of anti-immigrant zealots who seek to curb the significant advances in public safety policies the City has pursued over the past two decades since declaring itself sanctuary city in 1989," stated Angelica Salas, CHIRLA Executive Director.

"Delaying the ID program, which has been thoroughly vetted and approved by the Board of Supervisors, is the wrong way to go about pursuing public safety and bringing all city residents out of the shadows. The program's detractors allege the city is protecting and aiding undocumented immigrants. The truth, however, is that the program will help, among others, elders, transgenders, and other vulnerable populations who will greatly benefit from engaging more closely in the civic fabric of their communities," added Ms. Salas.

CHIRLA applauds Mayor Newson's vision and leadership in support of the city's sanctuary city designation. We note with concern, however, that after the tragic murders of three family members in June of this year at the hands of an undocumented man, city officials have reacted with thinly-veiled double-guessing to their humane and common sense policies towards immigrants. We must remind the mayor and the city's residents that immigrants are part of the rich and diverse tradition of San Franciscans who value harmony, family, hard work, and safe communities.

San Francisco's mainly symbolic sanctuary policies do not shield any criminal (documented or not) from the law, nor do they keep Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officials from enforcing our broken immigration laws, tear families apart, and disturb the local economy. Sanctuary City means extending justice and humanity to our immigrant hard working neighbors and families who significantly contribute to our country's strength and well being. CHIRLA urges San Franciscans to stand for community cohesion, not separatist politics, and move towards the implementation of the identification cards for all immediately.