Only in the fundamentally transformed America of President Obama could the former police chief of San Francisco, the city where Kate Steinle was murdered by an illegal alien given sanctuary, and herself a supporter of sanctuary cities, be the short list for the next head of the U.S. Border Patrol. As Fox News reports:

A former San Francisco police chief and vocal supporter of a sanctuary cities policy is on a short list of candidates to become the new chief of the Border Patrol, according to sources.

As police chief, Heather Fong shielded illegal immigrants, including aliens who committed crimes, from deportation. In contrast, it is the job of the U.S. Border Patrol to catch and deport all illegal immigrants, including those with a criminal history….

During her five years as the chief of SFPD, Fong refused to cooperate with ICE, telling reporters in November 2008, "We do not cooperate with ICE when they go out for enforcement of immigration violations of the law."

A few months earlier, she appeared in a public service campaign telling illegal immigrants they're welcome in the city. In promoting San Francisco's sanctuary city policy on TV, radio, posters and brochures in five languages, Fong said illegal immigrants had nothing to fear under her watch. "San Francisco is committed to providing safe access to public services to our communities," she said.

Except for American citizens like Kate Steinle, the young lady shot by an illegal immigrant, Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez a seven-time felon who had been deported five times, only to return to San Francisco’s welcoming arms. In local custody, he was released by Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, who thankfully was just thrown out by voters. Mirkarimi was implementing the San Francisco policy of not notifying federal authorities of such releases. Heather Fong supports this policy wholeheartedly.

Donald Trump got into trouble for saying our open borders policy allows Mexican criminals free access to the United States. Yet criminals do come like Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez do come across and Heather Fong as head of the Border Patrol would be unlikely to stem the tide. Rather she would be probably be standing on the border passing out a map of sanctuary cities.

Being a sanctuary city is illegal. State and local authorities cannot refuse to enforce federal law. Of course, who is going to call sanctuary cities to account when the President of the United States refuses to enforce our immigration laws? As Investor’s Business Daily noted in February, President Obama ordered those in charge of border security to obey his executive orders on amnesty and not our immigration laws:

If President Obama, who has warned ICE agents of consequences if they do their job, had a son, he might look like Jamiel Shaw Jr., a young African-American killed by an illegal alien who shouldn't have been here.

Shaw was a Los Angeles high school star dreaming of a good life ahead when he was gunned down on March 2, 2008, while walking home. He was picked at random, police said, possibly as part of a gang loyalty test for the illegal alien who shot him.

The sanctuary policies that led to the murder of Shaw are now full-blown federal policies under Obama. "We're not in the business of deporting millions of people or of breaking up families," he says. We're also not in the business of deporting criminal illegal aliens….

…President Obama was telling employees at Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they had better enforce his executive amnesty orders or else.

Speaking at a Miami town hall meeting sponsored by MSNBC and Telemundo, Obama said "there may be (an) ICE official or Border Patrol agent not paying attention to our new directives. If somebody's working for ICE . . . and they don't follow the policy, there's going to be consequences to it."

Thankfully, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals put the brakes on Obama’s executive amnesty when it ruled that we are indeed a nation of laws and not executive orders. As Breitbart News reported:

The Court ruled the lower court did not err in granting a temporary injunction blocking President Obama’s executive amnesty program. Federal Judge Andrew Hanen previously issued a temporary injunction stopping the president’s actions, as reported by Breitbart Texas.

“The court’s decision is a vindication for the Rule of Law and the Constitution,” said Texas Governor Abbott in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. Abbott initially filed the lawsuit in 2014 during his final months as Texas’ Attorney General. “The President’s job is to enforce the immigration laws, not rewrite them. President Obama should abandon his lawless executive amnesty program and start enforcing the law today.”

Despite the Fifth Circuit ruling, that remains an unlikely prospect. The chief of the Border Patrol does not require Congressional approval and appointing Heather Fong would be a way of President Obama striking back. Personnnel is policy, as they say. That Heather Fong is on the short list for Border Patrol chief should not surprise. It reflects President Obama’s contempt for the law and for the American people.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investor’s Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.