'Sanctuary' absurdity

The fact that debate about San Francisco's "sanctuary city" ordinance centers on when to report juvenile illegal aliens' felonies to federal officials, not on scrapping "sanctuary" outright, shows just how ridiculous and misguided that ordinance is.

In a measure enacted last year by Mayor Gavin Newsom, the feds are notified when juvenile illegals suspected of felonies are arrested. Advocates for illegals want such notification delayed until conviction. But either way, San Francisco still will be putting "sanctuary" for illegals ahead of the interests of its own citizens.

That's absurd.

San Francisco wrongly would have the rest of America believe that its soft spot for illegals is nobody's business but its own. Yet the interests of all Americans, not just those of San Franciscans, are at stake, as is the rule of law.

That said, those pushing for this notification change might yet do some actual good -- inadvertently.

Mayor Newsom warns that enactment of the notification change likely would lead to a federal legal challenge that could threaten the entire "sanctuary" ordinance.

Barring a sudden, massive outbreak of sanity in the Bay Area, such litigation might be San Franciscans' best hope for freedom from an ordinance that endangers them -- and all Americans -- by coddling illegal juvenile felons in their midst.