BART may designate itself a sanctuary transit system

Commuters are lined up to board a San Francisco train at the MacArthur BART station in Oakland, Calif. on Aug. 30, 2016. Commuters are lined up to board a San Francisco train at the MacArthur BART station in Oakland, Calif. on Aug. 30, 2016. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close BART may designate itself a sanctuary transit system 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

BART, whose trains carry riders between a number of Bay Area sanctuary cities, will consider adopting its own policy protecting people in the country illegally from the federal government.

The BART board decided to consider a measure proposed Thursday by directors Nick Josefowitz of San Francisco and Lateefah Simon of Oakland. “Recent studies indicate that there are over 500,000 undocumented immigrants living in the Bay Area. Many of these immigrants ride BART every day,” Josefowitz said, adding that they should feel safe aboard BART.

No details were offered because the item was not on the agenda for the BART Board of Directors meeting in Oakland. State open-meeting laws ban the board from discussing matters without public notice.

The general idea behind the proposal is to limit how BART police cooperate with federal immigration officials, particularly in sharing information about immigrants in the U.S. without legal documentation.

The proposal to make BART a sanctuary transit system was seconded by several directors. Director Rebecca Saltzman, board president, said she supported the proposal and will schedule it for debate at an upcoming meeting.

Simon said that given President Trump’s stated intention to crack down on immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, it’s important for BART to reassure riders they won’t be handed over to federal officials.

Simon said she recently heard from a young man, cited for fare evasion, who wanted to pay his citation. But he is in the country without legal permission and is afraid he would be turned over to immigration enforcers, she said.

“If our system can mirror some of the best cities and municipalities in this country that are standing up to hate and xenophobia, that would be great,” Simon said. “We want to be on the right side of history.”

Several speakers urged the board to support the proposal, saying it would make immigrants feel more comfortable aboard BART.

“I can’t tell you how scary it is to just walk down the streets these days,” said Sabiha Basrai, 34, a Muslim American who owns a graphic design business in Oakland.

“It means a lot to me to know that BART is making a clear statement that BART is for all of us and we should ride without fear.”

Karem Herrera, 25, who is in the U.S. without documentation and works for a San Francisco law firm, agreed.

“I’d like to know the public transit agency in my community has my back,” she said.

Alicia Trost, a BART spokeswoman, said the system’s police haven’t turned over anyone to immigration officials in recent memory. She said police reviewed five years of records Thursday after learning of the sanctuary proposal.

“We treat everybody fair and impartial,” said Jeffrey Jennings, BART’s acting police chief. “We want everyone to feel safe.”

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan