Dozens of demonstrators gathered Sunday, Oct. 26, outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Stockton after immigrant advocates reported unexpected weekend check-ins that prompted confusion and fear among families.
Sasha Novis, a senior attorney with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, an Oakland-based nonprofit that provides legal and advocacy services for immigrants in detention, said her team was at the facility Saturday, Oct. 25. About 50 immigrants were suddenly ordered to report for check-ins that day, a practice advocates described as unusual.
Novis said people with pending immigration claims are usually given appointments several months in advance on weekdays, but she and her team have seen an uptick in last-minute weekend check-ins in Northern California.
“It’s very unusual for there to be weekend check-ins with ICE,” Novis said. “Usually that indicates they plan to arrest a lot of folks. Especially with such short notice, some folks don’t have time to make a plan or bring their attorney or anything like that. That’s why we responded.”
Several of those called to the Stockton facility are part of an ICE program that lets them remain at home while their cases move through the system. As of October, ICE reported that about 7.6 million immigrants participate in the program, known as Alternatives to Detention or the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program.
The Stockton facility at 603 San Juan Ave. is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and is typically closed over the weekend, according to ICE’s website.
About 25 immigrants were detained at the Stockton facility Saturday, Oct. 25, including a pregnant woman and a minor, according to Novis. They were believed to have been taken to detention centers in the Central Valley. Novis and other immigration attorneys were at the facility Sunday, Oct. 26, to offer legal services in case of additional arrests.
ICE did not respond to calls or emails seeking details on the detentions, including how many individuals were transferred and to which facilities.
Novis said the community’s presence at the protest helped keep people safe. She noted that immigrants face risks if they don’t show up to check-ins and encouraged anyone in that situation to consult an attorney.
“This just marks another tactic, another egregious action by this administration, where they’re targeting people who have been following all the rules, complying with all of their requirements for their programs, who were already on the radar with ICE,” Novis said. “They’re in the system. They have pending applications for relief to stay in this country, to get status, and they’re still being targeted, detained and separated from their families and loved ones. It’s pretty awful and completely unnecessary.”
In June, ICE summoned immigrants in the Bay Area to report to its offices in San Francisco and Fresno. After sending weekend notices, the San Francisco office remained closed while hundreds of protesters gathered to prevent further detentions.
By noon, about 70 protesters had gathered outside the Stockton facility to protest the reported detentions, carrying signs that read: “Reject fascists,” “Silence is compliance,” “Stop pretending your racism is patriotic” and “Stop the racist fascists.”
Some protesters played drums while others chanted “No justice, no peace, no ICE or police” and “We don’t want ICE in this town.” They handed out food and water and wrote chalk messages on the cement in front of the facility, including “Nobody is illegal on indigenous stolen land.”
A number of local organizations, including Empowering Marginalized Asian Communities and Faith in the Valley, helped organize the protest, while others traveled from the Bay Area to show support for immigrants in the community.
Jasmine, who declined to provide her last name for safety reasons, was one such protester. She came from the Bay Area but said she is originally from Stockton and still has family in the city.
“We know, anywhere we are, that the struggles are interconnected,” Jasmine said when asked what led her to make the trip. “We wanted to make sure anyone coming out here today could do what they needed while having a protective presence to support them. They had the resources to show up to this check-in, which is very scary. I can’t imagine getting that text over the weekend, so that was our motivation. Immigrants everywhere need that support, and if we can offer a hand, we will 100% be here.”
During the peaceful protest, the gate at the Stockton ICE office remained closed, and no one was seen entering or leaving.
“We protect one another, and today we protected our immigrant communities from being taken. Our presence since 7 a.m. prevented anyone from being detained at the Stockton processing center,” Faith in the Valley said in a statement on social media hours after the protest. “Today, no one was grabbed. The office did not open. Your presence and your resistance made that possible.”
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Advocates decry unexpected weekend ICE check-ins that led to detentions in Stockton
Reporting by Hannah Workman, The Stockton Record / The Record
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