San Francisco doubles down on sanctuary city policies with legal defense push

Reaffirming its reputation as the most sheltering sanctuary city in the country, San Francisco is doubling down on its support of illegal immigrants with a proposal to fund legal assistance for those facing deportation.

The initiative was introduced by San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, a staunch immigrant-rights advocate.

"We are proud to be a sanctuary city," Campos said. "And we're not only proud to stand up for that, but we're going to invest the resources needed to make sure that the 44,000 undocumented people who live in the city and county of San Francisco have, at a minimum, legal representation if they're taken into immigration court."

The legislation would offer legal defense to anyone who ends up being detained.

"People who are facing criminal charges, no matter their immigration status, already have the right to an attorney under the Constitution," Tamara Aparton, a spokesperson with San Francisco's Public Defender's office, told Fox News. "People whose only 'crime' is being in the country illegally currently do not have that same protection."