Demand Mayor Lurie step up now: fund emergency immigration services
Call your Mayor.
Donate to Habeas Network: https://donate.iibayarea.org/campaign/821218/donate
Call Script
My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.
I am asking Mayor Lurie to uphold San Francisco’s Sanctuary City values and protect our immigrant community by immediately approving $250,000 in emergency funding for the Bay Area Habeas Network.
This crucial funding supports round-the-clock access to habeas corpus petitions, which often result in the immediate release of detained immigrants. In San Francisco, without this funding, San Francisco immigrant defendants could face up to a year in detention. As we know full well, these delays can result in individuals being transferred out of state, completely cutting them off from access to legal defense and their support networks. If you fail to act, we not only violate the intent of our Sanctuary City policies but our promise to protect all of our residents. PLEASE RELEASE $250,000 in emergency funding today. The need is now not in the next budget cycle.
Background
The Bay Area Habeas Network is short $250,000 from San Francisco City Hall. This pro-bono legal network of nine bay area nonprofits gets Bay Area residents quickly released from ICE detention. Filing a habeas corpus petition can result in release within hours instead of languishing in detention. Since May 1st, 90 percent of the 57 Bay Area residents arrested were released immediately.
This past August, the Network applied for $250,000 in emergency funding from San Francisco. The Mayor’s Office response was a dismissive statement that the funding will be considered as part of next year’s budget which if approved will not arrive until September 2027. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE RESPONSE TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE BEING TERRORIZED BY THE ICE SURGE IN CALIFORNIA. Other counties have already contributed their share. Now is not the time for excuses and delays. Demand the Mayor release emergency funding for immigrant legal defense today.
The Habeas Network needs funding now. If you can please DONATE HERE: https://donate.iibayarea.org/campaign/821218/donate
For more information on the network: https://www.lrcl.org/bay-area-habeas-network
References
https://missionlocal.org/2026/10/bay-area-habeas-network-san-francisco-funding-ice-detention/
https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-county-to-fund-legal-aid-for-bay-area-ice-detainees/