In a significant and concerning event, eight Colombian asylum seekers were arrested during their immigration court hearings in downtown San Francisco on Friday morning. This marked the highest number of arrests in a single courtroom on one morning, as noted by Milli Atkinson of the San Francisco Bar Association.
The arrests came during a routine procedure wherein the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorney submitted motions to dismiss the asylum seekers’ cases, a tactic increasingly used to expedite deportations. The immigration judge, while neither granting nor denying the motions, allowed each individual 10 days to respond.
Despite this temporary reprieve, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were waiting outside the courtroom and proceeded to arrest all eight individuals immediately after their hearings.
Among them was a young couple, aged 26 and 27, who sat together on a bench, wearing matching black hoodies and dark jeans. When called before Judge Joseph Park, who presided via Webex, they faced the DHS attorney, who, with a thick Hispanic accent, moved to dismiss their case.
Following the couple’s appearance, they met with a legal caseworker and an attorney to discuss their situation, and the new legal representatives informed them about the likelihood of detention outside the courtroom. The young man handed over his car keys and credit card to the caseworker for a friend waiting outside, while his wife silently wept beside him.
Another hearing was held for an older man dressed in a black and white varsity jacket, who had relocated from New York to California. He presented his car’s registration as evidence to the judge, while the DHS attorney moved to dismiss his case as well.
While the couple exchanged words of encouragement, hoping for a swift resolution, the older man faced the same fate as they did when exiting the courtroom. The situation continued to unfold with a well-dressed, middle-aged woman, who proudly presented her 2024 tax returns and a California driver’s license during her hearing, optimistic about her new job. Yet again, the DHS attorney sought to dismiss her asylum case.
Following her, two young men and another woman took their turns at the stand, encountering the same dismissal motions by DHS, all leading to their arrests by ICE after meeting with the attorneys of the day.
The final asylum seeker, a 21-year-old woman, was similarly dismissed by DHS during her court appearance. As she exited the courtroom, she walked down the hall with her arm around one of the caseworkers.
However, two ICE agents observed them closely and began questioning her identity. When the woman refused to comply with their inquiries, the attorneys present insisted the agents provide a warrant.
In a troubling turn of events, one agent made a phone call to retrieve a warrant while mentioning a potential match for a subject of interest. Minutes later, another agent arrived with a warrant in hand and presented it to the attorneys before leading the Colombian woman away for her arrest.
The series of events highlights the intense scrutiny and challenges faced by asylum seekers in the current immigration climate, raising broader questions about the implications of such arrests during judicial proceedings.
image source from：missionlocal
