City job program let illegal immigrants slip through
By: Brent Begin
Examiner Staff Writer
June 23, 2009
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Second chance: District Attorney Kamala Harris’ Back on Track allows drug dealers to receive job training if they plead guilty. (AP file photo)
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SAN FRANCISCO — A job-training program in lieu of jail time that’s run by San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris has locally based federal officials worrying that tax dollars they secured are being used to expunge the criminal records of illegal immigrants.
The pet project started by Harris four years ago, dubbed Back on Track, is under fire after it was revealed that on more than one occasion illegal immigrants that committed crimes were granted entrance into the program despite the fact that they could not legally work in the country.
Back on Track allows small-time drug dealers between 18 and 30 years old with no record of violence and no more than 7 grams of drugs when arrested to join a job-training program run by Goodwill Industries. The enrollee must plead guilty to enter the program, but their record is expunged after a year of training.
The program is now under fire after an illegal immigrant, Alexander Izaguirre, was arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault in July 2008 while still enrolled in the program.
The revelation is the latest in a series of problems San Francisco has when it comes to dealing with undocumented immigrants who commit crimes other than crossing the border illegally.
The City’s sanctuary policy prevents local authorities from asking about immigration status, except for situations where someone has committed a crime. The policy, however, has been loosely interpreted by various city departments, leading to several high-profile incidents where undocumented immigrants have been released to commit more crimes.
The most high-profile case to date, that of Edwin Ramos — an undocumented El Salvadoran and alleged gang member — was not flagged by either The City or federal officials. He’s now facing a murder trial for allegedly shooting to death a father and two of his sons for no apparent reason last year.
The Back on Track program has graduated more than 100, but the District Attorney’s Office does not know how many undocumented criminals entered or completed the program and had their records expunged.
The program, which costs about $5,000 a year per participant, was presented as such a success that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi secured $400,000 in the 2009 federal omnibus spending plan. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s name also shows up on the funding request, but spokespersons for both say they need to see changes in the program.
“The program as presented to the speaker is not intended to serve undocumented individuals, only those who are legally eligible for employment,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said.
A spokesman for Feinstein, whose name was added as a sponsor to the earmark late in the process, said she was now re-evaluating her interest in Back on Track.
“This definitely raises the possibility that we’ll reprogram those funds,” spokesman Gil Duran said.
Sharon Woo, the assistant district attorney who currently heads the jobs program, said the District Attorney’s Office did not enroll criminals that were flagged because of their immigration status, but did not do any independent investigations either.
Woo said that after the Izaguirre incident, the policy changed and prosecutors now ask for documentation that proves a Back on Track enrollee can legally work.
Slightly off track
The Back on Track program for drug dealers, which is run by the District Attorney’s Office, was blasted after it was revealed that undocumented immigrants were being trained for jobs.
212 Enrollees in Back on Track
113 Graduates
99 People who failed
4 Years since inception
$5,000 Cost per enrollee
10 Percentage of graduates who have committed crimes again
Source: District Attorney’s Office
