SF Creates 'ICE Free Zones'

The new ordinance was co-authored by Supervisors Chyanne Chen and Bilal Mahmood, who argued it was a necessary step to uphold the city's long-standing Sanctuary City commitments. Chen stated, "We will not stand for ICE to use our public properties to aid their harassment or terrorization of San Franciscans." This legislation grants the San Francisco City Attorney's Office the authority to take legal action against any entity that conducts federal immigration enforcement on city property. The ordinance defines such actions as a disruption of city operations and clarifies that assisting in federal immigration enforcement is not a permissible use of city resources. The move follows a number of similar "ICE-Free Zone" policies enacted in other Bay Area jurisdictions, including Alameda and Santa Clara counties, as well as the cities of Richmond, San Jose, and Oakland. This regional trend aims to make it more difficult for federal agents to use public spaces like parks, parking lots, or health facilities as staging areas for enforcement operations. This policy builds on San Francisco's original "City of Refuge" ordinance, which was passed in 1989. That law generally prohibits city employees from using city funds or resources to assist federal immigration authorities, a cornerstone of its "Sanctuary City" status. A significant catalyst for the new ordinance was a series of incidents in May 2025, when ICE agents arrested multiple asylum seekers who were attending their required hearings at the San Francisco Immigration Court. This action was denounced by legal experts as unconstitutional and prompted calls for stronger local protections. In response to similar policies in the Bay Area, the Department of Homeland Security has previously stated that the agency "will not be deterred from enforcing immigration law." The ordinance does not prevent federal agents from making arrests in the city if they have a judicial warrant.