San Francisco Mayor Lurie boosts immigrant defense services despite $800M budget shortfall
San Francisco, California – Mayor Daniel Lurie has gotten $3.4 million in new donations to help immigrants in San Francisco fight for their rights. This is a powerful show of support for the city’s immigrant community. This action lets the city’s Public Defender’s Office grow its Immigration Defense Unit, which means that more people who are about to be deported will be able to get legal help.
The money comes at a very important time. Even though the city has a $800 million budget shortfall, Mayor Lurie chose to keep financing for legal and social services for vulnerable groups, such as families and LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities. With the help of private contributors, the city is not only keeping its commitment in immigrant legal defense, but also growing it.
“In this year’s budget, we protected critical funding to provide legal defense services for our immigrant neighbors—even while closing an $800 million deficit that required painful cuts in other areas. Now, we’ve secured more than $3 million to build on this work through the Public Defender’s Office, ensuring that immigrants can access legal counsel, even in deportation proceedings,” said Mayor Lurie.
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Thanks to donations from philanthropic organizations, the Public Defender’s Immigration Defense Unit will be able to hire four more people with the new money. These jobs should make it much easier for the office to satisfy the expanding need for legal defense services through March 2029.
District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who co-sponsored the legislation with the mayor, emphasized the broader message this move sends.
“San Francisco has always stood as a sanctuary for immigrants,” said Mahmood. “In a time of escalating federal threats, we must double down on our values and ensure immigrants have a fair chance to fight their cases.”
“San Francisco has always been a beacon for immigrants, and amidst growing threats of deportation from our federal government our immigrant communities deserve to feel safe and protected,” said District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood.
In addition, the Mayor’s Office is implementing a series of proactive measures to support immigrant residents, including:
- Mandating training for all city departments on sanctuary policies;
- Requiring immediate notification from SFPD leadership in the event of any federal immigration enforcement activity;
- Holding regular emergency preparedness drills involving law enforcement and city departments;
- Hosting meetings with community leaders and service providers to monitor impacts and coordinate responses.
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Mayor Lurie stressed that the city’s main goal is to keep everyone safe and that this entails making sure everyone feels protected, no matter where you come from.
With this new program, San Francisco continues to set an example by defending its immigrant populations not just with words, but also with real actions and ongoing assistance.
