ICE arrests decline sharply at S.F. immigration court

"In October, Immigration and Customs Enforcement made just seven arrests at San Francisco immigration courts, a steep reduction after months of routinely detaining immigrants after their hearings. There have been no arrests of immigrants attending hearings at the immigration court at 630 Sansome St. since Oct. 3, according to Milli Atkinson, a lawyer with the San Francisco Bar Association who closely monitors ICE actions there. At 100 Montgomery St., the city's other immigration courthouse, the last arrest recorded by Mission Local was on Aug. 20."

"In September, by contrast, at least 35 people were arrested at the Sansome immigration court, according to Mission Local's arrest tracker. More than 120 immigrants have been arrested by ICE in San Francisco since May, the vast majority at the courthouses or ICE field office. From the beginning of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, the locus of ICE arrests in San Francisco has been at the immigration courts, unlike in other cities where raids occur in workplaces or neighborhoods."

ICE arrests at San Francisco immigration courts declined sharply in October, with only seven arrests recorded citywide. No arrests occurred at the 630 Sansome immigration court for hearings after Oct. 3. The last arrest at the other courthouse, 100 Montgomery St., was recorded on Aug. 20. In September, at least 35 arrests occurred at the Sansome court, and more than 120 immigrants were arrested by ICE in San Francisco since May, mostly at courthouses or the ICE field office. The cause of the slowdown is unclear, though habeas corpus petitions have helped win quick releases this summer.

Read at Mission Local