Homeland secretary blasts sanctuary policies

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Tuesday criticized policies such as the one in San Francisco against generally cooperating with immigration officials, calling the stances counterproductive and unacceptable.

 

The city’s sanctuary policy has come under scrutiny since the shooting in July of Kate Steinle as she walked with her father and a family friend along the San Francisco waterfront.

 

 

The shooting triggered a national debate over immigration after it was revealed the man charged in the killing, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, had been deported five times to his native Mexico and was out on the streets after San Francisco officials disregarded a request from immigrations authorities to keep him locked up.

 

 

Asked whether federal officials could have done more to prevent the release of Lopez-Sanchez, Johnson said the city’s sheriff had failed to honor a request to detain him. He said he wants to do away with immigration detention requests, which have been resisted by some local communities, in favor of a notification system that prioritizes immigrants convicted of certain crimes.

 

 

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