{"id":11672,"date":"2016-01-28T15:56:15","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T20:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=11672"},"modified":"2018-12-28T13:46:23","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T18:46:23","slug":"illegal-alien-accuses-san-francisco-of-violating-its-illegal-sanctuary-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2016\/01\/28\/illegal-alien-accuses-san-francisco-of-violating-its-illegal-sanctuary-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Illegal Alien Accuses San Francisco of Violating its Illegal Sanctuary Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

File this one under \u201cFact is Stanger than Fiction\u201d:<\/p>\n

Pedro Zarceno-Figueroa is an illegal alien from El Salvador. Pedro lives illegally in San Francisco. San Francisco is a self-declared sanctuary city that illegally shields illegal aliens from federal immigration enforcement officials. Pedro, who is violating U.S. immigration laws, has a DUI conviction, and is ignoring a deportation order is charging that San Francisco violated its illegal sanctuary \u201claw\u201d when it discovered an outstanding warrant for him and police detained him temporarily while authorities contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to find out what the warrant was for. As a result, Pedro now finds himself in ICE custody.<\/p>\n

It all began in December, when Zarceno-Figueroa showed up at a police station to report his car had been stolen. The police, as they routinely do, asked him to produce a driver\u2019s license and proof of ownership and registration and discovered that Zarceno-Figueroa is an illegal alien. Perhaps, in an effort to avoid another Kate Steinle fiasco, the police decided to check for warrants before sending Zarceno-Figueroa on his way.<\/p>\n

\"golden-gate-bridge-690346_640\"<\/a>The SFPD claims it never found out what the warrant was for and, this being San Francisco, released Zarceno-Figueroa. This is where it gets even stranger. There just happened to be an ICE agent parked in front of the police station who took Zarceno-Figueroa into custody. \u201cWe do not cooperate on immigration matters,\u201d stated SFPD Sgt. Michael Andraychak.<\/p>\n

Many in San Francisco are troubled by the fact that an illegal alien was taken into custody in their city. County Supervisor John Avalos, who dismissed Kate Steinle\u2019s murder<\/a> as \u201cjust a series of coincidences,\u201d that had nothing to do with the sanctuary policy he authored is demanding answers about what happened to Zarceno-Figueroa. \u201cI am very concerned about this case and have joined the community\u2019s call for transparency and accountability from SFPD and ICE,\u201d said Avalos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Zarceno-Figueroa, who has yet to be deported, is being represented by the public defender\u2019s office (at the expense of taxpayers). If Avalos is merely \u201cconcerned,\u201d the city\u2019s public defender is righteously indignant<\/a>. \u201cPedro Figueroa was the victim of a crime, and today he\u2019s the victim of a broken immigration system. San Francisco is a sanctuary city. We welcome immigrants, we have a law and a policy that should protect them, and yet Pedro Figueroa was not protected,\u201d charged Jeff Adachi, the city\u2019s public defender.<\/p>\n

Perhaps Zarceno-Figueroa can take some comfort in the knowledge that the city\u2019s sanctuary policies don\u2019t protect law-abiding citizens of San Francisco either.