'We welcome any families:' SJ mayor responds to Trump's comments about migrants, sanctuary cities
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - The Mayor of San Jose has a message to immigrant detainees and to the president.
Mayor Sam Liccardo says, "We welcome any families to the city of San Jose who have endured such incredible hardships and have endeavored to make a better life for themselves and their families and want to be a part of our great country."
On Twitter Friday, President Trump confirmed his interest in transporting immigrants held at the border and releasing them in sanctuary cities like those in the Bay Area, apparently as a way to punish political foes.
Oakland's Mayor Libby Schaaf calls this "An outrageous abuse of power- using human beings to settle political scores."
San Francisco Mayor London Breed added her thoughts on Twitter, saying: "This is just another in a long line of scare tactics and half-baked ideas that are just about chasing headlines and distracting people from real issues..."
San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Fewer, said her own family came to the U.S. seeking a better life.
"I will tell the president this: If they come to our city we will treat them like humans. We will not separate their mothers and fathers from their children. We will educate them and we will cloak them in a blanket of security because they can live among us."
But local leaders agree they'd rather talk about immigration reform or expedited asylum, than this.
"Somewhere between 99.9 percent and 100-percent of this is political rhetoric. I would like to see a president more focused on solutions than on silliness," said Liccardo.