San Bernardino County may sue San Francisco over ‘dumping’ of illegal immigrant convicts
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San Bernardino County officials vowed Thursday not to become a dumping ground for San Francisco criminals, saying they may sue the Northern California city for exporting juvenile offenders to San Bernardino-area group homes. The development comes after a scandal mounted this week over San Francisco’s policy for dealing with undocumented, juvenile criminal offenders.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is having to handle the fallout caused by the escape of eight young undocumented drug dealers from unguarded facilities in San Bernardino County as he prepares to run for governor.
‘San Francisco has a legal and moral obligation to notify us, and they didn’t,’ said Michelle Scray, assistant chief probation officer for San Bernardino County. ‘We have requested a list from San Francisco of any other offenders placed in our county. They assured us they would not be sending any more.’ For years, San Francisco, a sanctuary city since 1989, has been shielding juvenile offenders from federal authorities, either escorting them to their home countries at city expense or transporting them to group homes, including locations in San Bernardino County. Mayor Gavin Newsom reversed the policy Wednesday saying minors in the country illegally who commit crimes will be turned over to immigration authorities.
-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City