In a significant escalation of tensions surrounding immigration enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested four individuals outside of immigration courtrooms in downtown San Francisco on Thursday morning.
The arrests occurred at the ICE field office located at 630 Sansome St., a site that houses some of the city’s immigration courtrooms along with a short-term detention facility.
Witnesses from Mission Local observed one of the arrests unfold in the hallway outside the courtrooms, capturing the moment a man exited the courtroom after his hearing, only to be immediately surrounded by ICE agents along with the building’s security staff and subsequently handcuffed.
This series of public arrests adds to a growing trend of protests in San Francisco, with demonstrations intensifying this week following an alarming incident where an ICE agent brandished a firearm at protesters located outside the main immigration court at 100 Montgomery St.
Video footage revealed a scene where ICE agents attempted to navigate through a crowd of protesters, even forcibly ejecting a woman from the hood of their SUV as they made their way through the group.
Unlike the more recognizable arrests made at the main courthouse on Montgomery St., which typically allow protesters to document and alert onlookers of migrants being transported to the ICE office, the arrests at the Sansome St. field office occur with less visibility and fewer opportunities for public engagement.
Individuals taken into custody at the main courthouse are often processed and transitioned to the ICE office; however, those detained at the field office can undergo processing without ever leaving the premises, thereby masking their detention and transport.
The four men arrested on Thursday were reportedly in court for standard hearings related to their ongoing asylum claims. During the court session, an attorney with the Department of Homeland Security moved to dismiss their cases, employing a new strategy aimed at expediting the removal of asylum-seekers from the United States.
The federal attorney cited “changed circumstances” in the men’s cases that necessitated the dismissal, but did not elaborate further before the judge or the individuals involved.
Judge Patrick O’Brien, who presided over the hearings, granted the men one month to secure legal representation and respond to the motion from Homeland Security. Notably, he refrained from dismissing the cases immediately, despite expressing doubt that the men would return to his courtroom.
O’Brien conveyed to the men, “No matter what you decide today, it’s very likely you’re not going to come back to this court,” signaling the gravity of their situation.
In response to one of the men’s requests for greater clarity, O’Brien admitted uncertainty regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s choice to dismiss their cases, indicating the arbitrary nature of such decisions.
The four men appeared visibly confused by the sudden motion to dismiss, gathered with a lawyer available through the attorney-of-the-day program provided by the Bar Association of San Francisco for free legal assistance. None had secured personal legal representation at the hearing.
Meanwhile, three of the men had their hearings almost immediately, each having been called as soon as court proceedings began at 8:30 a.m., yet they remained in the back of the courtroom until around 10 a.m., as their legal counselor provided explanations in Spanish regarding the likelihood that they would soon be detained.
Traditionally, individuals detained at 630 Sansome St. are processed over a few hours before being transported to longer-term detention facilities across California or elsewhere in the United States.
As the fate of the four men remains unclear post-arrest, it highlights the continuing challenges faced by migrants navigating the complexities of the U.S. immigration system, especially when engaging with ICE for regular check-ins, which have also led to increased arrests in recent months.
image source from：missionlocal
