San Francisco may have swung to the right on crime in the last few years, but its political leadership has stubbornly refused to back any meaningful immigration enforcement.
After video surfaced of ICE agents detaining an illegal immigrant and her daughter at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Mayor Daniel Lurie was quick to defend San Francisco's status as a "sanctuary city."
Responding to allegations that the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) had assisted the agents, Lurie said, "Our sanctuary policies are here. They are in place. They're not going anywhere as long as I am mayor."
SF Board of Supervisors members Bilal Mahmood and Chyanne Chen, meanwhile, planned to introduce legislation undermining ICE in response to the incident. The proposed law would require SFPD officers to ID ICE officers who are not "clearly identifiable," using body cameras. Similar to Governor Gavin Newsom signing legislation attempting to ban ICE agents from wearing masks, the supervisors claim to seek transparency, when the aim is to make it impossible for the agency to operate effectively.
Mayor Lurie and Supervisor Mahmood, notably, represent the moderate wing of SF Democratic politics, while Supervisor Chen represents the left wing. Despite their differences on crime and housing policy, both wings remain united on basic liberal myths, such as unchecked immigration causing no problems whatsoever.
It's not the first time Democratic politicians in the city have refused to question its illegal immigration sanctuary policy. In early 2025, only two of the eleven Board of Supervisors members expressed support for deporting illegal aliens convicted of drug dealing. Supervisor Matt Dorsey, largely viewed as the most tough-on-crime member of the board, previously attempted to pass legislation to this effect in 2023, only to run into a similar wall of opposition.
As for the mother and daughter at SFO, Department of Homeland Security officials stated that they had received final deportation orders seven years ago in 2019. It is unclear what "nicer" approach the agency could have taken, although given that SF Democratic politicians refuse to endorse deporting even felon drug dealers, it's clear that they don't want any enforcement at all.
San Francisco's voters and politicians rightfully turned against Defund the Police and unhinged pro-Black Lives Matter rhetoric in the past few years. With the right voter pressure, hopefully some of its more sensible politicians start questioning the party's sacred cows around immigration.
