More than 100 faith leaders and community members chained themselves to the entrances of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office at 630 Sansome Street in downtown San Francisco yesterday, cutting off check‑ins and briefly disrupting some court-related activity. Organizers said they were there to stop what they describe as ICE “kidnapping” community members at routine appointments, while San Francisco police stood by and monitored the scene as First Amendment activity.
Protest Shuts Down Check‑Ins And Doors
According to KTVU, activists began locking themselves to the building’s two main entrances around 6:30 AM, hours before the field office opened at 8 AM. SkyFox footage showed demonstrators still in place late into the morning, many of them standing behind a large “ICE Out of CA” banner while supporters painted murals and sang hymns. Organizers said the blockade forced staff to tape up “closed” signs and send people with scheduled appointments away to come back another day.
Arrests, Chains Cut And Disrupted Appointments
Mission Local reported that federal Homeland Security officers arrested roughly 20 demonstrators. The outlet noted that San Francisco firefighters were called in with heavy bolt cutters to slice through chains that tethered some protesters to the doors, and that asylum-seekers and other immigrants with appointments at the building were told to reschedule.
Organizers: “We’re Trying To Protect Families”
Faith leaders described the blockade as a moral line in the sand. Rev. Rodney Lemery said in a statement, “We can no longer stand by and watch as our neighbors are disappeared, ripped away from their families and communities,” while Rev. Deborah Lee called it “unconscionable” that people who are complying with court appointments are “being duped into coming into this building,” as reported by KTVU…