The San Francisco Rapid Response Network, a coalition of immigrant rights’ groups in the city that works to verify purported immigration arrests, put out a post on Friday afternoon saying that an “elderly nanny” had been arrested in the Diamond Heights neighborhood.
Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote in a statement that his office was “aware of the immigration enforcement action in Diamond Heights earlier today” and that San Francisco police officers were “not involved” in accordance with the city’s sanctuary policies.
“I am in touch with the Rapid Response Network and community organizations to ensure communities continue to receive accurate information,” Lurie said. “We are not aware of any other immigration enforcement action in the city today. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and remain committed to upholding the values and laws of our city.”
The Rapid Response Network wrote that on Friday morning, “our hotline confirmed the arrest of a San Francisco resident in the Diamond Heights neighborhood.”
“The detained person, an elderly nanny on her way to work, was followed by multiple unmarked vehicles. After she parked and stepped out of her car, the vehicles blocked the driveway and agents exited, stating they were looking for a person in the area.”
Mission Local could not independent verify the arrest.
The agents “did not present a warrant,” according to the network’s account, and did not have identification or visible markings indicating which agency they belonged to. The woman was “handcuffed and taken into custody,” it wrote.
The Rapid Response executive director Laura Valdez told Mission Local over text message that the “attorney of the day,” a rotating pro-bono lawyer from the Bar Association of San Francisco who works with immigrants and asylum-seekers in the city, was dispatched to locate the woman.
Valdez declined an interview and did not share any more information.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the area, said the network told him the woman was 66 years old. The family she works for was there during the arrest, he said, but he had little additional information.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ICE enforcement in San Francisco has centered on the immigration courthouses downtown where asylum-seekers were, until recently, routinely arrested after court hearings and check-ins.
A broad daylight arrest on a city street would be a marked departure from ICE’s past practice in San Francisco.
Mandelman, for his part, urged caution reacting to the news.
“We can’t say based on one instance that there’s been a change in strategy.”
This is a developing story and will be updated if more information becomes available.
Additional reporting by Clara-Sophia Daly.