Three asylum-seekers were arrested outside San Francisco immigration court following their hearings, part of a pattern of federal agents waiting to apprehend them. The arrests occurred shortly after a Department of Homeland Security attorney filed motions to dismiss their petitions. Judges in at least two cases denied these motions, but ICE agents proceeded with arrests anyway. This trend has escalated, with over 30 arrests since late May, creating a climate of fear among those attending court. Detainees may be transferred to distant facilities in California after these arrests.
The first was at about 8:40 a.m., when a woman, surrounded by people who appeared to be ICE agents, was handcuffed in the hallway outside of the courtroom.
In all three cases, a Department of Homeland Security attorney had moved to dismiss the asylum-seekers' petition, a novel tactic the Trump administration is using to arrest immigrants and put them on a fast-track to deportations.
ICE has made more than 30 arrests after court hearings since May 27, and on Friday agents, at least one of whom was armed, walked up and down the hallways outside the courtrooms, waiting to make arrests.
They are likely to be taken to detention centers in California or even outside the state, which can lead to significant distances from where they were arrested.
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