San Francisco promises sanctuary in wake of Trump's 'border czar's' deportation vows

SAN FRANCISCO - Bay Area communities are reacting to the incoming administration's aggressive approach to immigration, including threats of mass deportation. 

President-Elect Donald Trump appointed a tough-talking ‘border czar’ who promises to run the biggest deportation operation this country's ever seen. 

Tom Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration as ICE director, is charged with carrying out Trump's top priority.

He was an outspoken supporter of Trump's controversial family separation policy.

Homan has a warning for governors, who have vowed to protect sanctuary cities.

"They'd better get the hell out of the way, either you help us or get the hell out of the way," he said on Fox News Monday. "We are going to take the handcuffs off ICE the Biden admin put on them, and let ICE do what they do best."

"They're going to look for 'em in sanctuary cities," Homan continued. "If sanctuary cities don't want to help, get out of the way. I'll double the workforce in that sanctuary city. We're going to do our job. Despite the politics, we're doing it. So get used to it because we're coming."

The San Francisco police chief and sheriff reacted to that threat.

"With our sanctuary laws, people have certain protections against the police department prying into immigration status. I think that's there for a very noble reason, noble cause," said SFPD Chief Bill Scott. "We want people in our city to feel comfortable when they need police, to call them. We don't want crime to go unreported."

"I want to make sure it's clear that our office will not be turning over anyone in our custody and care over to federal immigration authorities based solely on an administrative warrant - a detainer request," said San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto. "We will continue to work under the Sanctuary City Ordinance in order to make a determination balancing public safety concerns on whether or not a serious and violence felon is actually turned over to the homeland security individuals."

Miyamoto said during the Biden administration, the department received just under 500 detainers - requests that allow ICE agents extra time to decide whether to take a person into federal custody for removal.

That number was twice as high during Trump's first term. 

Deporting 1 million people a year would cost $80 billion dollars, according to USF Law Professor Bill Hing.

"It just doesn't have those kind of resources. The resources that they would need would be the equivalent of the Pentagon. So there are not going to be massive deportation roundups. I think the language that Homan is using and that the President-Elect is using is meant to scare people," said Hing. 

Homan also suggested deporting children who are US citizens, along with their undocumented parents.

The nonprofit ALAS, which supports the farmworker community, said families are feeling fearful.

"Those that work in construction, those that work in restaurants, those that work in our big companies... what are we going to do without our essential workers?" said ALAS Executive Director Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga. "I read somewhere that they were saying if we think the price of eggs now is high, what are we going to do when the essential workers are not there?"

Homan's appointment doesn't require Senate approval. 

While he's expected to have a strong influence on administration policies, he will not have the authority to direct federal agencies.