![\"A](\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cropped-MMG_Headshots-09-scaled-1.jpg\")
by\u00a0B\u00e9atrice Valli\u00e8res<\/a><\/strong> February 18, 2026 (MissionLocal.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-6-780x520.jpeg\")
\n\n\n\n
After months of fighting efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain him, Bay Area activist Guillermo Medina Reyes was arrested by federal agents on Valentine\u2019s Day, his legal team said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reyes was arrested outside his San Jose home and processed through the ICE field office in Stockton before being taken to the California City Detention Facility, a former prison in California City currently used for ICE detention, according to his supporters<\/a>.<\/p>\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 ICE did not respond to a request for comment on the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reyes is an outspoken advocate against immigration detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2022, while detained by ICE at Golden State Annex, a for-profit detention facility operated by the GEO group in McFarland, California, he participated in labor and hunger strikes to protest conditions inside. He was a named plaintiff in a lawsuit<\/a> against the GEO Group over alleged forced labor and wage theft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He was released in 2023. ICE announced its intention to re-detain Reyes in May 2025 after he was arrested for vandalism. He was arrested again in August after police said he attempted three carjackings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reyes has been fighting ICE<\/a> in court since May. His lawyers said he was being unfairly targeted due to his advocacy against the agency. His case became a rallying point for immigration activists in San Francisco, who have been organizing demonstrations at his court appearances for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In July, a federal judge ruled that the agency could not detain Reyes until he was granted a bond hearing before an immigration judge, a decision Reyes\u2019 lawyers heralded as a victory for immigrants\u2019 right to due process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reyes\u2019 bond hearing took place on Jan. 23 in front of San Francisco immigration Judge Steven Kirchner at the immigration court at 630 Sansome St<\/a>. Dozens of Reyes\u2019 supporters attended and staged an hours-long demonstration outside the building, holding signs and chanting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judge Kirchner issued a decision on Feb. 13, ordering Reyes\u2019 re-detention without bond, said Lisa Knox, who is part of his legal team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knox called the decision a \u201chorrendous injustice.\u201d She said that Reyes\u2019 attorneys were not told what evidence the judge was considering in his decision, nor were they allowed to challenge any of the evidence that was presented against him in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking into legal options to possibly appeal or have a court review that decision,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Born in Mexico, Reyes was brought to the United States at age 6. He was convicted of attempted murder for a crime he committed at 16, and served more than 12 years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reyes was transferred to ICE custody in 2021. He spent more than a year in ICE detention, and was finally released on bond in 2023, when an immigration judge determined he was not a danger to the community nor a flight risk, his lawyers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, the 31-year-old has worked as a tattoo artist in San Jose and as a community organizer advocating for immigrants\u2019 rights, friends said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In May, after Reyes was arrested on vandalism charges, during what his lawyers described as an episode of mental illness, ICE notified Reyes\u2019 lawyers of its intention to detain him at his next immigration appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reyes fought back. In June, his lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition<\/a> and a civil complaint in federal court to prevent ICE from detaining him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Later that month, U.S. District Court Judge Rita Lin granted<\/a> Reyes a temporary restraining order against ICE, shortly followed by a preliminary injunction barring the agency from re-detaining Reyes until an immigration judge could rule on the agency\u2019s right to detain him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was able to temporarily remain out of ICE detention, but had to wear a GPS ankle monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In late July, Reyes was reportedly arrested<\/a> again in Berkeley and taken for a mental evaluation at a local hospital after police said he attempted three carjackings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His lawyers argued that the arrest followed another episode of mental illness; Reyes said the recent immigrant crackdown and the possibility he could be sent to ICE detention triggered the episode. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking to the crowd before his bond hearing on Jan. 23, Reyes described his stay in ICE detention as worse than prison, and called the detention conditions \u201cinhumane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe racist treatment by the guards, the lack of medical and mental care, working for eight hours a day, and only being paid $1 surely made me want to go back to prison,\u201d Reyes said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor people who are at risk of being detained or deported, it\u2019s like being hunted. And I cannot imagine what that feels like every single day,\u201d said Stephanie Jayne, Reyes\u2019 friend, who was present at the rally on Jan. 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jayne said she met Reyes in 2023 during a walk from San Jose to San Francisco to advocate for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe system has not treated him kindly, and he has still come out of that with a heart that is just welcoming people in and fighting for others,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advocates said his case also highlights what they say is the unfair punishment applied to immigrants with criminal records. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor U.S. citizens, even with a criminal record, they don\u2019t get exiled or kicked out of the country. This is the second punishment that is only applied to immigrants,\u201d said Ezperanza Cuautle, co-director of Pangea Legal Services, which represents Reyes in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey should have the right to a second chance to be able to reintegrate into the community and to be able to thrive with their family members.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reyes\u2019 deportation case is still ongoing, but it could take years before it is resolved, said Knox. In the meantime, \u201cwe\u2019re continuing to push to look for avenues for his immediate release,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n His supporters are planning a rally Friday at the immigration court at 630 Sansom St. to protest his arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of you, Mission Local reached and surpassed our $300,000 year-end fundraising goal. All we can say is thank you. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you for choosing to invest in a local newsroom rooted in San Francisco\u2019s communities \u2014 one that listens first and reports deeply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you haven\u2019t yet had a chance to give, it\u2019s not too late to be part of this community. Your contribution today helps sustain the reporting our city relies on all year long.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re grateful you\u2019re here \u2014 and we\u2019d be honored to have you join our donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donate<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n beatrice@missionlocal.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n B\u00e9atrice is a reporting intern covering immigration and the Tenderloin. She studied linguistics at McGill University before turning to journalism and getting a master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School.More by B\u00e9atrice Valli\u00e8res<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Legal team says Reyes was taken by federal agents outside his home on Valentine\u2019s Day by\u00a0B\u00e9atrice Valli\u00e8res February 18, 2026 (MissionLocal.org) After months of fighting efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain him, Bay Area activist Guillermo Medina Reyes was arrested by federal agents on Valentine\u2019s Day, his legal… Continue reading ![\"Mission](\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/mission-local-logo-300x300.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Dance](\"https:\/\/cdn.broadstreetads.com\/assets\/1abc1168-180a-44ce-95bd-2025264cea74.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Guillermo-rally-3-930x620.jpg\")
From Mexico to ICE detention to organizing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/guillermo-walks-out-of-court-edited-1-930x607.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/dolores8-edit-1-879x640.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nJoin the 3,250 readers who keep Mission Local free for all!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Latest on Immigration enforcement<\/mark><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\u2018Elderly](\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/012026_MMG_Civic-Center-protest-09-1200x900.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u2018Elderly nanny\u2019 arrested by ICE in S.F. has been released<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9590-1200x900.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nInside San Francisco\u2019s hollowed-out immigration court, where asylum is \u2018essentially over\u2019<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Her](\"https:\/\/newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/012726_MMG_Roxana-3-1200x900.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHer partner deported, S.F. mother of four copes with fear and loss in a sanctuary city\u00a0<\/a><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
B\u00e9atrice Valli\u00e8res<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n