Dean Johnson, Professor Villazor Publish Op-ed in New York Times

Dean Kevin R. Johnson and Professor Rose Cuison Villazor co-authored an essay for "Room for Debate," a feature of the New York Times website.  The article appears as part of a group of opinion pieces regarding the "sanctuary" laws in place in San Francisco and other cities that prohibit local authorities from detaining immigrants on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the absence of criminal charges.

Sanctuary laws became a hot media topic following a recent killing allegedly committed by an undocumented immigrant who had been released from custody by San Francisco police after ICE failed to comply with a city ordinance.

In the essay, the King Hall faculty members assert that the San Francisco sanctuary law "strikes a reasonable balance of ensuring that a local government achieves the trust of its residents and allowing the federal government to remove those undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes."

"Yet, it is even more important to recognize what the tragic event in San Francisco truly reminds us of: We need a more permanent, expansive, reform of the immigration laws. Better coordination and cooperation between state, federal and local authorities and using resources to remove serious criminals would help tremendously," the essay continues. "But we also need immigration laws that offer some kind of durable legal status to undocumented immigrants who live and work in our communities who will not be targeted for deportation."

New York Times

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