False alarm about ICE enforcement rattles San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO - A false alarm about an immigration enforcement officer approaching a minor on a San Francisco bus is raising real concerns.
While this case was a false alarm, immigration advocates are using it as an opportunity to teach people what to do when it turns out to be legitimate enforcement.
The story spread like wildfire: a Visitacion Valley Middle School student said an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer approached them on a Muni bus on Thursday.
San Francisco Unified Schools confirmed the incident was reported and that the district was working to determine if it really happened.
Muni has now determined that the claim was false, but the fear it left behind is real.
"I want to say that it's very real that our community members, whether they're minors or adults, are feeling a lot of fear right now of ICE detentions or even raids," said Sanika Mahajan from Mission Action, which leads the city's Rapid Response Network, a hotline that immigrants or anyone who witnesses immigration officials conducting sweeps can call.
She said contacting the rapid response network is a critical first step.
"If anybody sees or knows somebody that's been detained by ICE, they should contact the Rapid Response Hotline at (415) 200-1548, and if they do see ICE activity ask that they do their best to take a photo or video from a safe distance so we can verify this activity actually occurred," said Mahajan.
San Francisco city leaders are also responding to the false alarm.
Supervisor Shamann Walton released a statement saying his office was monitoring developments, and offering tips including reminding immigrants of their right to remain silent, to not open the door without a warrant and to contact the rapid response network.
Mayor Daniel Lurie's office also released a statement, saying it is confident there was no federal immigration enforcement action on Muni.
The mayor's office reaffirmed the mayor's commitment to sanctuary city policies, saying, "Their purpose is not to interfere with federal immigration enforcement but to ensure that all residents can feel safe interacting with local law enforcement and accessing city services. These laws have been on the books for decades, and we will continue to uphold and defend the general prohibition of the use of city resources to assist ICE in enforcing federal immigration actions."
While the incident here in San Francisco proved to be a false alarm, Chicago Public Schools said that ICE agents showed up at Hamlin Elementary School on Friday morning; though it was later confirmed the agents were from the Secret Service.
Staff at the schools there say the agents did not access the school and did not speak to students or staff at the school, but the incident highlights that the same thing could happen just about anywhere.