A handful of federal officers in unmarked cars this morning arrested a man outside his home in the Sunnyside neighborhood of San Francisco.
The man was “taken down” on Mangels Avenue between 8:15 and 8:20 a.m., according to a neighbor who witnessed the arrest.
An activist who asked not to be identified by name said their group later observed officers unloading the man at 630 Sansome St., an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office that also houses an immigration court. His arms were behind his back. In photos, the man arrested on Mangels Avenue and the man being marched into Sansome Street seem to be the same person: They have the same general appearance, haircut, T-shirt and pants.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to Mission Local’s inquiries. The San Francisco Rapid Response Network, which tracks federal immigration enforcement, said it had been notified but could not confirm what prompted this morning’s arrest.
The arresting officers wore black and green vests that said “police” and “federal officer,” photos and videos show. At least three wore face coverings. They carried long guns and other weapons, said the neighbor.
“They took this guy, bent him down on the ground,” he said. The officers looked inside the man’s car, then put him into one of their three vehicles, which, the neighbor said, did not have license plates.
“Then they just took off,” the neighbor added. “All of this happened in less than five minutes.”
Around 9:15 a.m., the activist said, two vehicles without license plates pulled up to the ICE field office on Sansome Street and the man was escorted into the building.
The man who was arrested has lived in a Sunnyside house with other families and individuals for at least two to three months, according to his neighbor.
While public immigration arrests have become a common sight around the country, most documented arrests in San Francisco have taken place at the courthouse or behind closed doors during routine immigration appointments.
Neighborhood arrests are difficult to predict. Advocates tracking reports through the San Francisco Rapid Response Hotline said they have not seen an increase in arrests in recent months, but rather intermittent arrests on the streets of San Francisco. The city has not seen the same proliferation of immigration arrests as other cities.
But the Bay Area has not been spared from detentions, said Lariza Dugan-Cuadra, the executive director of CARECEN, which runs the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative.
Dugan-Cuadra was aware of Wednesday’s arrest and said that to come to the man’s defense, advocates and lawyers would use “every tool in the shed.”