News and Press Releases

Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle reported: Judge orders Bakersfield immigration holding facility to test all detainees weekly. San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office also represents the detainees, said ICE “continues to demonstrate its failure to act to prevent a COVID crisis, which has devastating consequences to those in its custody.”

Andrea Castillo of the LA Times reported: ICE deliberately limited testing at Bakersfield immigration facility with COVID-19 outbreak. The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office is part of a class action suit against ICE and GEO Group for conditions in immigration detention centers during the COVID-19 pandemic, in partnership with the ACLU of Northern and Southern California, the Lawyers Committee for...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  August 6, 2020  Media Contacts  Sam Lew, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area slew@lccrsf.org, 415-272-8022  Valerie Ibarra, San Francisco Public Defenders valerie.ibarra@sfgov.org, 628-249-7946 American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California press@aclunc.org, (415) 621-2493 American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California communications@aclusocal.org, (626) 755-4129 ***PRESS RELEASE*** Judge Orders ICE to Provide COVID-19 Testing –...

KRON interviewed Danielle Harris, the Managing Attorney of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office Integrity Unit, in the segment: San Quentin inmates petition to be released due to coronavirus concerns. “tHERE’S JUST NO SUCH THING AS SIX-FOOT DISTANCING IN AN OVERCROWDED PRISON.” – DANIELLE HARRIS

We’re excited to announce our Young Defenders Program – a 40-week paid internship for 25 high school students focused on criminal justice issues. It’s a unique collaboration between the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, Mayor Breed’s Opportunities for All initiative, Teachers for Social Justice, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and SF Unified School District. Read the SF Chronicle’s article...