Supervisor Chyanne Chen tours S.F. ICE facility as immigrants go into hiding

"Supervisor Chyanne Chen arrived at Immigration Court at 630 Sansome St. early this morning to sit in on court proceedings and tour the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities there. Chen, who represents San Francisco's District 11, is the third supervisor since late September to do this, following District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder and District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. Unlike her predecessors, Chen is also an immigrant."

"It is important that San Francisco continues to be a Sanctuary City, Chen said. She called the federal government's recent directives an "attack on the vitality of the city, the intelligence of the city and of America." Chen emphasized that she and her colleagues are committed to finding "meaningful and responsible" ways to further fund immigration services, despite the city's current budget deficit."

"At the door, security personnel informed Chen that Judge Patrick O'Brien had canceled his 8:30 a.m. docket. Chen, accompanied by Milli Atkinson the Director of the Bar Association of San Francisco's immigrant legal defense program, Lariza Dugan-Cuadra the Director of the non-profit CARECEN SF, and staff representing Supervisors Fielder and Myrna Melgar, entered the building to tour the ICE facility on the sixth floor, where immigrants are detained after ICE arrests them."

Supervisor Chyanne Chen toured the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at 630 Sansome St., visiting the sixth-floor detention area and call rooms. Chen represents San Francisco's District 11 and is an immigrant. Chen called maintaining Sanctuary City protections essential and described federal directives as an 'attack on the vitality of the city' and America. Chen said she and colleagues will seek meaningful and responsible ways to fund immigration services despite the city's budget deficit. Chen said recent ICE raids and arrests are heartbreaking and affect families, including many San Francisco Unified School District students. Security canceled an 8:30 docket and restricted media access during the visit.

Read at Mission Local