A federal judge on Wednesday denied the government's effort to halt a preliminary injunction requiring the Department of Justice to improve conditions inside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's holding cells in San Francisco. The decision by Judge Casey Pitts of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California means ICE will have to comply and improve conditions in the holding cells.
Bay Area immigrant rights advocates have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration to end its controversial immigration courthouse arrests and stop federal officers from detaining people for days in a San Francisco holding facility not meant for overnight use. The unprecedented tactic has triggered heated protests, with some activists attempting to block arrests and getting into clashes with ICE officers.