That's all well and good - but ICE doesn't just pursue border-crossers -- they regularly arrest and deport people here on Visa overstays..
Many of the people that OPs friend is complaining about receiving aid from San Francisco "activist lawyers" are from Asia, who obviously didn't enter the country illegally, hence, non-criminals.
There is obviously a large range between a parking violations and the discussed immigration actions. Let's be honest from both sides and compare it to something kinda comparable: trespassing. When such a thing occurs, most reasonable people expect the police (ICE) to come and remove them from the private property (country).
Many of the people that OPs friend is complaining about receiving aid from San Francisco "activist lawyers" are from Asia, who obviously didn't enter the country illegally, hence, non-criminals.