{"id":44173,"date":"2025-09-25T13:24:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T20:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=44173"},"modified":"2025-09-25T13:24:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T20:24:51","slug":"inside-ices-crackdown-in-san-francisco-an-illustrated-timeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/25\/inside-ices-crackdown-in-san-francisco-an-illustrated-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside ICE\u2019s crackdown in San Francisco: An illustrated timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Black\"\" by\u00a0NEIL G. BALLARD<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0MISSION LOCAL STAFF<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 24, 2025 (MissionLocal.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mission Local<\/em> has been covering immigration enforcement in San Francisco for months, attending asylum hearings<\/a>, reporting on protests<\/a> and diving deep into the data<\/a> on how many people Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot has happened in that time. Readers could be forgiven for tuning out the news. The MAGA approach to PR, as articulated by Steve Bannon<\/a>, is to focus on \u201cmuzzle velocity\u201d and flood the zone with news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To bring you up to speed, here\u2019s what\u2019s happened in San Francisco over the past nine months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mission<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Want the latest on the Mission and San Francisco? Sign up for our free daily newsletter<\/strong> below.Sign up<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jan. 20, 2025<\/strong>

The same day President Donald Trump took office, he issued dozens of orders, including one to expand<\/a> a process known as \u201cexpedited removal,\u201d which U.S. immigration officials had used along the border to quickly return immigrants to their home countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of limiting it to the border area, it could now be used across the country to remove any undocumented immigrant \u201cphysically present in the country for less than two years.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It quickly became clear in San Francisco and other large cities that ICE agents found it most convenient to arrest immigrants attending regularly scheduled hearings at federal immigration courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mission Local <\/em>was among the first to cover these arrests, and often continues to be the only local media that goes daily to the courtrooms at 100 Montgomery St. and 630 Sansome St.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Line
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June 5: ICE makes 15 arrests at field office<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICE agents begin rounding up immigrants, including children, and using expedited removal. June 5 is the first day of mass arrests in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June 6: ICE keeps arresting asylum-seekers at court<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first case of expedited removal comes in late May, but by June 6, the immigration courts at 630 Sansome St. and 100 Montgomery St. become the focus for ICE arrests. Immigrants attending regularly scheduled asylum hearings are arrested as they leave the courtroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June 10: Protests erupt<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrests from regular check-ins provoke protests that shut down immigration court for a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June 11: Federal attorneys try to dismiss asylum cases<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Francisco lawyers say there is no question that the Trump tactic of expedited removal is being used at the courthouse. Immigrants seeking asylum who once had protection while their cases were decided no longer have that protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe tactic is unlawful,\u201d said Milli Atkinson, the Immigrant Legal Defense Program Director for the Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June 11: Conservative judges weigh in<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first asylum-seekers arrested in San Francisco has his case transferred to a more conservative judge elsewhere in the state, and the new judge sides with the Department of Homeland Security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June 13: <\/strong>Colombian detained<\/strong><\/a>  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friends talk about a Colombian immigrant in detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was following the rules that were in place at that moment,\u201d said one friend. \u201cHe didn\u2019t break the law. He showed up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jafet Santiago Diaz had studied economics and graphic design at a university in Colombia, the friend said, but had to flee before he could get his degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

July 8: More protests prompt backlash<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICE agents drive a van through protestors gathered outside of immigration court. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video<\/a> of the incident captured by Mission Local<\/em> makes it to the New York Times, Washington Post<\/em>, CNN, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

July 15: Asylum-seeker asks to be deported<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a development that would be repeated, Mission Local<\/em> witnesses an immigrant give up his asylum case and ask for voluntary removal. He feared being detained by ICE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The judge granted his request for voluntary departure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you for the opportunity to be in this country,\u201d the man told the judge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

July 18: Trump fires sympathetic judges<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a tactic that would become increasingly common, Trump fires another San Francisco immigration judge, bringing the total to four fired since April. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three of them granted asylum cases at a rate higher than the national average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

July 29 & 30: Immigrants sent to detention centers in Arizona<\/a> and <\/strong>Hawaii<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those arrested was a man whose courtroom demeanor \u2014 he was mumbling to himself through the morning \u2014 led the immigration-court judge to say he appeared to be mentally impaired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obvious to me that there are competency issues,\u201d the judge, Patrick O\u2019Brien, said at the time. ICE arrested the man moments later, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

July 30: More than 2,000 immigrants have been arrested by ICE in Northern California and the Pacific<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook, we\u2019re going to deport you no matter what,\u201d one immigrant was told. \u201cYou sign, or you don\u2019t sign. I have to deport you. So it\u2019s better that you sign your removal now. It\u2019ll be quicker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Aug. 1: He hardly knows Mexico<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In California, one man used to wake at 4 a.m. to head to Wente Vineyards, where, for nine years, he\u2019d weld, or maneuver hulking mechanical harvesters to pull grapes from the vines. Now, he\u2019s been deported to a Mexican town he hardly knows \u2014 and there is no work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Aug. 6: Habeas corpus petitions<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arrests continue, but lawyers begin to have some luck in getting defendants released by filing habeas corpus petitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After his release, a 20-year-old asylum-seeker headed home immediately. Within 30 minutes, he was walking into his family\u2019s kitchen, to cries of joy from his mother, who immediately flung her arms around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Aug. 14: 80 years of immigration history at 630 Sansome St.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detainees who have stayed overnight at the ICE field office recently said that the cells are cold, and they sometimes have to sleep on the floor with just a Mylar blanket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Aug. 22: Trump fires a fifth judge<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, the judge had a high asylum clearance rate: 96.5 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Aug. 29: Judge rejects Trump\u2019s expansion of expedited removal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sept. 3: Trump fires a sixth judge<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the fired judges were relatively new to their positions and still in their two-year probationary period, which makes it easier to terminate their employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Judge Shira Levine, who was hired in 2021, had surpassed this window. Judge Chloe S. Dillon had also surpassed her two-year probationary period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Six
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sept. 4: ICE continues arresting, despite judge\u2019s order<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICE officers arrest five people in immigration court \u2014 the first<\/a> known arrests in court since a federal judge blocked Trump\u2019s expansion of expedited removal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sept. 7: Immigration court illustrated<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mission Local <\/em>sends illustrator Neil Ballard to draw up a morning of asylum hearings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sept. 18: ACLU sues ICE over San Francisco conditions<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plaintiffs allege that conditions inside 630 Sansome are unconstitutional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The holding cells on the sixth floor of the building have \u201cno beds,\u201d and asylum seekers are \u201cforced to sleep on metal benches or directly on the floor \u2026 with nothing more than a thin plastic or foil blanket or a thin mat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sept. 19: Hundreds of Filipinx activists march against ICE in San Francisco<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Illustration by Neil Ballard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Help us cover ICE in San Francisco<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mission Local has been covering immigration enforcement in San Francisco day in and day out \u2014 on the streets and in the courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Trump administration invests $170 billion in ICE<\/strong>, we want to make an investment of our own: $300,000 \u2014 $100,000 a year for Trump’s remaining three years \u2014 to hire a full-time immigration reporter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donate<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MORE ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT<\/mark><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"How<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How can you prepare if you or a loved one are detained by ICE?<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Hundreds<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of Filipinx activists march against ICE in San Francisco<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Man<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Man with 10-by-12-inch tumor escapes ICE detention in S.F., for now<\/a><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

NEIL G. BALLARD<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

neilgballard@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neil G. Ballard is a cartoonist and muralist living and working in San Francisco, California.More by Neil G. Ballard<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0NEIL G. BALLARD\u00a0and\u00a0MISSION LOCAL STAFF September 24, 2025 (MissionLocal.org) Mission Local has been covering immigration enforcement in San Francisco for months, attending asylum hearings, reporting on protests and diving deep into the data on how many people Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested. A lot has happened in that time. Readers could be forgiven for tuning out… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44173"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44174,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44173\/revisions\/44174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}