An immigration court in downtown San Francisco shut down early on Tuesday with no explanation given, while protesters and immigration advocates gathered outside — and following the arrests of at least two people by ICE agents.
ICE raids and arrests occurring at immigration courts around the country have drawn the ire of protesters, particularly in here in California in the last week. And while the immigration court system was traditionally not a place that ICE agents targeted — with the immigrants there typically trying to make their legal cases for asylum or other paths to citizenship — the Trump administration has appeared to want to use the courts as an easy way to entrap individuals who appear there for annual check-ins.
The official word from the administration is that detainees in SF all have "executable final orders of removal by an immigration judge and had not complied with that order."
Videos from outside the immigration court at 100 Montgomery Street in SF on Tuesday showed masked ICE agents removing at least two men in handcuffs, all while protesters yelled at them. As Mission Local reports, activists could be heard screaming, "You’re kidnapping people!" and "Pull your fucking mask off!"
The court closed Tuesday while cases were still pending, as the Chronicle reports, with Judge Shuting Chen stopping the proceedings in the middle of an asylum hearing. The judge reportedly told waiting asylum seekers, "I’m so sorry, but you’re not going to have your case heard today."
The Chronicle indicated that a "large protest" had gathered outside the court, and Mission Local puts the size of the crowd at 200 people. Mission Local reports that the crowd grew in size after videos of this morning's arrests circulated online, and that this led directly to the court shutting down early.
An immigration court in Concord also reportedly shut down early today.
One man, a Colombian national, spoke to Mission Local outside the court after his hearing was canceled. He told the publication he has been in the US for two years and came here out of fear of persecution over his sexual identity back in Colombia.
On Monday, thousands gathered in the Mission District to peacefully protest ICE activity and the Trump administration's over-reaction to protests in Los Angeles.
Top image: Photo via Google Street View
