SF Sheriff Michael Hennessey (Deanne Fitzmaurice / The Chronicle)

San Francisco's sheriff is seeking to opt out of a federal program that uses the fingerprints of arrestees to check their immigration status.

Sheriff Michael Hennessey sent a letter Tuesday to the California attorney general asking that the state Department of Justice not share the city's fingerprint data with federal immigration authorities.

San Francisco is scheduled to begin participating in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's so-called Secure Communities program on June 1. Under the program, anyone arrested will have their fingerprints checked against a database used by ICE.

Hennessey says the program conflicts with a San Francisco policy that requires law enforcement to report only those born outside the U.S. who are booked for felonies.