ICE strikes again: allegedly arrests 15 people, including children, in SF
Approximately 15 detained by ICE in SF
Attorneys say approximately 15 people were detained by ICE yesterday, many of them mothers and children, the youngest just three years old
SAN FRANCISCO - At least 15 people, including a child as young as three, were reportedly arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in San Francisco on Wednesday, according to a statement from SF Supervisor Jackie Fielder.
The arrests allegedly occurred at the immigration court building on Sansome Street, as people showed up to court check-in appointments.
Fielder, citing the San Francisco Rapid Response Network, said the individuals are marked for immediate deportation, as early as Thursday.
"Trump's ICE tactics are a danger to public safety, education, and public health, as they sow panic and fear among San Francisco's vast immigrant communities, who are becoming fearful of engaging with any form of government, including schools, hospitals, and law enforcement," said Fielder, who represents the Mission District, in a statement.
The Bay Area has seen multiple ICE arrests in recent weeks, including a two-day operation that began Tuesday in San Jose. The federal agency made headlines last month for arresting immigrants appearing in San Francisco at court-scheduled hearings.
Allegations of inadequate facilities
What they're saying:
"The detained immigrants were diligently cooperating with law enforcement and complying with the law by reporting to their regularly-scheduled check-in with ICE," Rep. Nancy Pelosi said in a press release. "These families were following their normal routine — and if the purpose of ICE is to ensure immigration laws and processes are enforced and followed, these arrests run counter to that mission and are inconsistent with it."
The sister of one of those detained yesterday told attorneys that officials kept her family member in inadequate facilities.
"We believe that family members, family units spent the night at 630 Sansome Street, which is not a detention center. It is not designed to hold people. It is our understanding these families were sleeping on the floors of their cells," said Priya Patel, with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice.
Immigration attorneys rallied in San Francisco last week after ICE officials detained four people at 630 Sansome.
Tactics
What we know:
Aggressive ICE tactics have been widely criticized since the agency began ramping up arrests on President Trump's orders.
Immigration rights advocates say they believe federal officials are responding to pressure from the Trump administration to arrest and deport more people and are filling their quota by detaining those who they think are most likely to show up for their appointments.
Multiple news outlets have reported instances of agents arresting people who show up to court for asylum hearings, in some cases driving unmarked vehicles and dressing in plain clothes. Other headlines have highlighted warrantless arrests, physical assaults and multiple cases in which masked ICE agents have refused to identify themselves as law enforcement.
Agents even arrested the Mayor of Newark in May, and shoved and manhandled members of Congress who were exercising their congressionally mandated right to inspect the ICE detention facility where the elected official was being detained.
"We think it has to do with quotas and directives from higher ups showing that local ICE offices will be penalized if they're not hitting a certain number of arrests and calling people in who they know will show up voluntarily is the easiest way for them to detain people," said Millie Atkinson with Justice and Diversity Center.
We reached out to ICE regarding this latest round of detentions, but so far have not heard back. In the past, they've said they were following the law and would deport anyone they said did not have a valid claim for asylum.
Impersonators
Dig deeper:
Despite their stated mission of "preserving national security and public safety," the agency's shadowy tactics have led to a spike in crime.
Multiple people have been arrested for posing as immigration agents and committing various crimes including assault, kidnap, and rape.
Foundation and funding
The backstory:
ICE was formed in 2003, in response to the September 11 attacks, by the Homeland Security Act. That piece of legislation abolished the Immigration and Naturalization Service and transferred its responsibilities to three newly formed agencies within the Department of Homeland Security: ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The agency's current budget is slightly more than $8 billion, but it could soon be much higher.
The House Budget reconciliation bill, which Trump has referred to as the "Big, Beautiful Bill," would provide the agency with $27 billion, and that money is only a piece of what the Trump administration plans to spend on immigration. The legislation, if passed, would allocate $185 billion toward immigration enforcement, including $83.2 billion toward border enforcement and $45 billion toward immigration detention.
That bill was passed by Congress in May, and is set to be heard by the Senate by July.
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ICE operation in San Jose confirmed by police
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