(SAN FRANCISCO) San Francisco has accepted a $3.4 million grant from the Crankstart Foundation to expand the capacity of its Immigration Defense Unit, with the authorizing ordinance enacted on August 1, 2025. The measure, recorded as Enactment #132-25, retroactively allows the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office to accept and spend the funds. The grant supports operations from March 1, 2025, through March 1, 2029, and amends the city’s Annual Salary Ordinance for FYs 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 to add four new grant-funded positions: three full-time attorneys (Class 8177) and one legal assistant (Class 8173).
City leaders say the expansion responds to a sharp rise in demand for removal defense, appeals, affirmative applications, and consultations for residents facing deportation or immigration detention.
Approval and Purpose
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the grant and staffing changes unanimously, signaling broad political support for immigrant legal defense. Public Defender Mano Raju, who oversees the Immigration Defense Unit, has stressed the need to grow staffing to meet community needs as cases increase and legal pathways tighten.
The expansion is part of a longer city tradition of supporting immigrant rights, and is framed by San Francisco’s sanctuary policies and focus on due process.
Scope of the Expansion
With new staff, the Immigration Defense Unit will:
- Increase representation of San Francisco residents in immigration detention and in removal proceedings before immigration courts.
- Handle appeals, including to the Ninth Circuit.
- Assist with affirmative immigration applications for eligible residents.
- Provide more frequent client consultations and deeper support for complex criminal-immigration issues (“crimmigration”).
- Expand resources for community outreach.
Officials say the aim is simple: make sure people have a lawyer when their ability to stay with their families, keep their jobs, or remain in their homes is at stake.
Services Offered
Residents who face immigration detention or removal proceedings can seek representation from the Public Defender’s Immigration Defense Unit. Services include:
- Legal consultations
- Defense in removal cases
- Representation in appeals
- Help with certain applications
- Guidance for post-conviction relief to reduce immigration consequences from old criminal cases
- Support for immigrant youth involved in the juvenile justice system
City officials emphasize that access to defense is not based on income or status, reflecting San Francisco’s commitment to due process.
Background and Community Impact
The Immigration Defense Unit grew out of local responses to federal enforcement actions and has become a key part of the city’s safety net for immigrant families.
- In 2024, the unit handled more than 1,000 matters, according to the Public Defender’s Office.
- The office also advises criminal defenders and supports youth and families navigating both immigration and juvenile systems.
San Francisco’s broader framework includes the Immigrant Rights Commission, which has advised the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on immigrant policy and service priorities since 1997. Community groups focused on language access, worker rights, housing stability, and youth services say legal defense is one pillar among many needed to support newcomers and long-time residents.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, readers tracking city-funded immigrant legal defense often look at how local agencies combine philanthropic grants with targeted staffing to meet rising caseloads.
“Having a lawyer can change the outcome of a case,” advocates and legal experts say, especially for those with complex histories or language barriers.
Legal and Policy Context
From a legal perspective, state leaders have defended the right of cities like San Francisco to set local policies around immigrant support. The California Attorney General’s Office has maintained that under SB 54, the state’s sanctuary law, local resources cannot be commandeered for federal immigration purposes. That position shapes how local governments design programs that focus on legal defense and community services rather than enforcement.
For official guidance on California’s immigrant protections and local authority, the Attorney General’s resource page offers current information: https://oag.ca.gov/immigrant
Philanthropy has also played a steady role in Bay Area immigrant support. The Crankstart Foundation’s grant continues its history of backing local initiatives that expand access to counsel. With this $3.4 million award, the Immigration Defense Unit can add attorneys and a legal assistant to meet rising demand, sustain services through 2029, and reinforce the city’s due process commitments during a period of tightening federal policy.
Practical Effects and Staffing Plan
The ordinance’s staffing plan focuses on practical needs:
- Positions added
- Three attorneys (Class 8177) — boosts courtroom coverage and appeals capacity
- One legal assistant (Class 8173) — supports filings, client communication, and records gathering
- Grant period: March 1, 2025 – March 1, 2029
- Provides a multi-year runway to hire, train, and retain staff in a high-cost city
- Helps build partnerships with community clinics, schools, and service providers
Officials say the longer grant period will help the office stabilize staffing and better coordinate outreach, language access, and support services.
Expected Outcomes and Ongoing Coordination
The Public Defender’s Office expects the expanded team to:
- Stabilize families by reducing the risk of wrongful deportation
- Connect clients to lawful options when available
- Help parents remain with U.S.-citizen children
- Preserve workers’ employment and older residents’ access to health care and housing
- Offer early representation for youth to prevent long-term harm from detention or removal
City leaders are coordinating with partners to monitor trends and set priorities as conditions change. Ongoing legal battles and policy debates at the state and federal level could affect caseloads and the types of cases local defenders see. City leaders and community groups plan to adjust outreach and services accordingly, emphasizing:
- Language access
- Economic opportunity
- Family stability
Takeaway
The Immigration Defense Unit’s expansion highlights how local policy, philanthropy, and legal advocacy intersect in San Francisco. By passing Enactment #132-25, the Board of Supervisors formalized the grant and amended the salary ordinance to add needed positions.
With expanded staffing now underway, the Public Defender’s Office says it can meet more residents where they are — at the detention center, in immigration court, or at a consultation table — through March 1, 2029.
This Article in a Nutshell
San Francisco secured a $3.4 million Crankstart grant (Enactment #132-25) on August 1, 2025 to expand its Immigration Defense Unit, funding operations March 1, 2025–March 1, 2029 and adding three Class 8177 attorneys plus one Class 8173 legal assistant to serve detained residents.
