San Francisco protesters block entrance to unmarked building amid fears of ICE trap
Protesters in San Francisco spent the day blocking the entrance to an unmarked building in the South of Market area. Immigrants had been told to report there in what some believed was a trap by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to capture people for deportation.
Over the weekend, a number of undocumented immigrants were sent a mysterious text message telling them to report to an unmarked building on Tehama Street on Saturday or Sunday. It warned that not showing up would be considered an "infraction."
"And we don't know why," said attorney Nancy Hormachea with the National Lawyers Guild. "Some of them have been reporting regularly before, but there was some concern that people might be detained under some of the new administration's policies."
A group of protesters blocked the entrances to the street and marched in front of the door, and lawyers were present to warn immigrants about what could be waiting for them.
"We can't say for sure, but people here thought that they were being trapped because some of them have pending court cases," Hormachea said. "They have shown up for all of their hearings. Many have filed for political asylum and they showed up here with their children, as well, yesterday."
"In other cities, we've heard information about potential detainments or activity around ICE in these offices. So, we just shut down the office entirely from 7 a.m. yesterday until 4 p.m. when they close. And the same thing today," said protest organizer Luna Osleger Montañez.
The building at 478 Tehama St. houses a private subcontractor for the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, or ISAP, which keeps tabs on people who have been previously detained and released by ICE.
The protesters thought the purpose of the weekend order, if not to arrest people, was to scare them into not appearing for future court hearings.
"Including new tactics like this, which really are unprecedented," said Osleger Montañez, "where on a weekend, community members are asked to go to an office that's not an ICE office for a check-in that they don't have a lot of information about, with fear of detainment if they don't go. That's really the reason we chose to shut it down all weekend from the beginning."
A man named Brian S. lives in the South of Market area and said he had no idea that the building was involved with immigration enforcement.
"You know, the cruelty is part of the purpose of what they're trying to do," he said. "So, it's terrifying, to be honest with you. It's terrifying."
Brian thought the administration may be intentionally targeting San Francisco as a way of picking a fight. He said the city supports its immigrant community and knows how to mobilize quickly in support of them.
"The response needs to be immediate," he said. "If this would have worked, they would have done more of it."
The organizers said ICE is frequently shifting its tactics and that the rapid response group has responded to six emergency actions in just the past week and a half. There was no indication that people were being called to the location after the weekend, but the activists promise that if they are, they'll be back.
CBS News Bay Area reached out to ICE for a comment on the text message and protest, and did not hear back before publication.
