Illegal Immigrant Sues San Francisco Police For Assisting Federal Officials In His Prosecution

There is an interesting case out of San Francisco where an illegal immigrant from El Salvador is suing San Francisco after police turned him over to United States Immigration authorities. Pedro Figueroa Zarceno, 32, alleges that the police violated the law by helping the federal authorities in the enforcement of the law. He relies on the controversial municipal law barring municipal employees from cooperating with federal immigration authorities seeking to deport a person.

The civil lawsuit details how Figueroa reported his stolen car to police in November 2015. When the car was found and he came to collect it, he was arrested and handed over to the federal authorities. Local authorities have criticized the action. However, this case could be a foreshadowing of the conflicts ahead as the Trump Administration fulfills its pledge to crackdown on illegal immigration and various cities pledge to obstruct such efforts — or at least refuse to assist in such enforcement.

In this case, police ran a routine background check on Figueroa and found that he had an outstanding warrant for his deportation from more than 10 years earlier. He had failed to appear at an immigration hearing in San Antonio in December 2005. He also failed to appeared on a 2012 conviction for drunken driving. I remain skeptical about the claim in this case — and both the standing and merits of a claim based on an injury from the enforcement of the law.

What do you think?

Here is the complaint: Figueroa Complaint