In September, we published an illustrated look back at how immigration enforcement changed in San Francisco during the nine months since President Donald Trump took office.
In the three months since, it’s changed again.
In the fall and winter, there have been fewer arrests in San Francisco, but also far fewer judges: The Trump administration has fired 12 of the city’s immigration judges, leaving its courts with only nine to hear more than 120,000 cases.
Several city supervisors made a point to visit Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the city; one supervisor was denied entry.
Here’s what’s happened since September, as illustrated by Neil Ballard.
Sept. 8: ICE makes largest single-court arrest
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrest eight Colombian asylum-seekers in what attorneys say was the largest single-morning arrest to date at San Francisco’s immigration court.
One woman nearly avoided arrest, but ICE agents intercepted her in the hallway, demanding her name. A social worker, accompanying the woman, asked to see their warrant, which agents later produced before arresting her.
Sept. 18: ICE arrests another seven, two without lawyers
ICE arrests seven more people at 630 Sansome St. One Mexican woman, whose case was dismissed, was detained moments after her hearing. A family member who drove her to court said that on the drive she had been “so anxious that she turned pale.”
Sept. 19: Man with 10-by-12-inch tumor escapes ICE detention, for now
ICE arrests six asylum-seekers after federal attorneys moved to dismiss their cases. One man narrowly escapes arrest, saying he was in the Bay Area for medical treatment.
Sept. 25: Supervisor Fielder visits immigration court, concerned over conditions
ICE arrests four more people following their immigration hearings, as District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder visits the court. Fielder says she is “concerned” by the ongoing arrests and pledges to secure additional funding for legal services.
Sept. 26: ICE slams man against wall in mistaken arrest
ICE arrests three people. One man tells Judge Joseph Park, “I need more time. I am afraid to return to Venezuela,” but federal attorneys still move to dismiss his case. Later that morning, eyewitnesses say that ICE agents slammed another man, who had not received a motion to dismiss, against the hallway wall — before realizing they had the wrong person.
Oct. 10: Supervisor Dorsey tours ICE office, pledging aid for asylum-seekers
Supervisor Matt Dorsey visits the court and tours ICE’s sixth-floor holding facility. He, too, pledges to locate funding streams for immigration legal services and urges philanthropists and law firms to contribute funds.
Oct. 16: Supervisor Chyanne Chen also tours ICE facility as immigrants go into hiding
Supervisor Chyanne Chen tours the 630 Sansome St. immigration court and tours the sixth-floor ICE facility, saying the holding cells left her “deeply emotional.”
Oct. 23: Live updates: Trump announces, then scraps, federal push in San Francisco
Mission Local joins forces with El Tecolote to provide live reporting as Customs and Border Protection agents arrive at an Alameda Coast Guard base. By late morning, the federal surge is called off. By 3 p.m., the city announces an additional $3.5 million for immigrant legal defense and the Rapid Response Network.
Oct. 29: ICE arrests decline sharply
Milli Atkinson, an attorney of the Bar Association of San Francisco, says no arrests had occurred at 630 Sansome St. since Oct. 3. Some attorneys believe that the sharp reduction may be tied to a series of successful habeas petitions filed on behalf of detained immigrants since August.
Oct. 31: Guards turn away San Francisco supervisor trying to tour ICE facility
District 4 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood attempts to tour the ICE office, but is denied entry until 10:30 a.m. But no one shows up for morning hearings, a pattern local attorneys attribute to clients’ fear of courthouse arrests.
Nov. 6: ICE arrests asylum-seeker at S.F. immigration court after weeks without detentions
After a sharp reduction in San Francisco’s courthouse arrests, ICE arrests one woman at 630 Sansome St. The woman had flown in from Texas for her 10:30 a.m. hearing and appeared without an attorney.
Nov. 21: Five immigration judges are fired in Friday Night Massacre
Five immigration judges are fired in San Francisco. The Trump administration says it is now looking to hire “deportation judges.”
Only nine immigration judges remain in San Francisco, down from 21 earlier this year. The case backlog is the worst in the state.
Nov. 25: Federal court tells ICE to immediate improve conditions
After the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups sued ICE — alleging its San Francisco holding cells were frigid, filthy, and unfit for long-term stays — a federal court says the agency has to immediately improve conditions.
A judge writes that conditions are likely “unconstitutionally punitive in nature.”
It certainly changed my outlook on sfpd.