On Friday, three asylum-seekers were apprehended right after their court hearings at the San Francisco immigration court, continuing a worrying trend where federal agents have been waiting outside courtrooms to make arrests as individuals leave the premises.
Mission Local witnessed all three arrests occur at 630 Sansome St., the location of an ICE field office and multiple courtrooms.
The first arrest took place at approximately 8:40 a.m., where a woman was handcuffed in the hallway immediately after leaving the courtroom, surrounded by what appeared to be ICE agents.
Later that morning, prior to noon, two more arrests occurred in quick succession. Both asylum-seekers were detained almost immediately upon stepping out of the courtroom, with about five federal agents, some clearly displaying Immigration and Customs Enforcement badges, taking them into custody.
In each of these instances, a Department of Homeland Security attorney had sought to dismiss the asylum-seekers’ petitions—a tactic recently employed by the Trump administration to expedite deportations.
Notably, in two of the cases, the judge declined to accept the attorney’s motion, allowing the asylum-seekers time to respond in writing.
This should have granted them protections from deportation.
However, ICE agents proceeded with the arrests anyway, a practice that has become increasingly routine in San Francisco.
The individuals detained are expected to be taken to detention centers either within California or further afield, as there are no detention centers located near San Francisco.
This typically means that arrestees must be transported to distant locations such as the Golden State Annex in McFarland or Mesa Verde in Bakersfield.
These latest arrests contribute to a growing atmosphere of tension within San Francisco’s courtrooms, where ICE has made over 30 arrests following court proceedings since May 27.
On the day of the arrests, at least one armed agent could be seen pacing the hallways outside the courtrooms, poised to make further detentions.
The atmosphere inside the courtroom itself has become increasingly charged, with one woman, who had arrived with a young child, breaking down in tears at the back of the room.
When asked by the judge about her well-being, she responded through an interpreter, stating, ‘Nervous.’
Traditionally, immigration attorneys providing free legal advice have met with asylum-seekers in private rooms to ensure confidentiality and security.
However, on Friday, and previously in another courtroom at the same location on July 10, these attorneys gathered in the back of the courtrooms instead.
They were acutely aware that stepping into the hallway even momentarily could lead to the immediate detention of the asylum-seekers.
Attorneys participating in the Attorney of the Day Program, initiated by the Bar Association of San Francisco, also work to gather contact information from relatives of the asylum-seekers so that families can be informed if their loved ones are detained.
Even this fundamental form of communication now faces heightened scrutiny from courtroom security personnel.
During Friday’s events, a security guard entered the courtroom attempting to force an asylum-seeker, whom DHS had moved to dismiss and who was about to be arrested, to put away his phone while he conferred with his attorney.
The attorney stood her ground, positioning herself between the guard and the asylum-seeker, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
‘He’s about to be arrested outside,’ she asserted, noting that without the ability to communicate with his attorney, the asylum-seeker would be at a severe disadvantage.
Eventually, the security guard relented but maintained a close watch, standing nearby as the asylum-seeker whispered urgent communications to his lawyer and tried to continue texting.
While electronic devices are typically prohibited within the courtroom, the enforcement of this rule has become more stringent.
Mission Local has observed an increase in security staff monitoring the situation, leading to recent incidents where guards have directed observers to put their phones away.
In a previous courtroom session at 630 Sansome St. on July 10, a security guard even raised his voice at a public observer for using their phone, prompting Judge Patrick O’Brien to intervene and assert control over the situation.
image source from：missionlocal
