A Stockton police sergeant and eight officers wearing face shields and carrying batons and less-lethal weapons escorted vehicles leaving the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Thursday night.
The police presence at the federal facility was linked to federal immigration enforcement action earlier Thursday at a Home Depot in Sacramento.
Empowering Marginalized Asian Communities, a nonprofit whose mission is to help build safe and thriving Southeast Asian communities in Stockton and the Central Valley, said the Sacramento detainees were transferred to Stockton, prompting peaceful protesters to form around 2 p.m. at 603 San Juan Ave., where the ICE field office is located.
Around 6 p.m., Stockton Police Department sent officers to the field office after receiving a report that about 20 protesters were blocking entrances and exits, according to Officer David Scott, a spokesperson for the Stockton Police Department.
Officers in a police helicopter confirmed there were protesters between two entrances and exits, with several blocking the driveways. Scott said officers arrived at 7:15 p.m. By that time, only eight protesters remained. Officers stood by to keep the driveway clear and allow vehicles to exit.
The Record sent a list of questions to the Stockton Police Department, including its policy on interacting with immigration enforcement, whether it coordinated with immigration enforcement Thursday, and a request for information on the directives given to officers who responded to the ICE facility. The department had not responded as of Friday afternoon.
When President Donald Trump signed several executive orders after his inauguration — including a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration — law enforcement officials in Stockton and San Joaquin County responded by announcing they would follow California law and not assist federal immigration enforcement in the area.
“We take pride in our approach to not enforcing immigration laws,” the Stockton Police Department said in a January statement. “Consistent with our established policy, we will not assist any federal agency solely in enforcing immigration laws. We believe doing so would undermine the trust and safety we have worked hard to build within our community.”
As vehicles exited the ICE field office, protesters stood along the sidewalk and traffic circle, chanting “Shame on you!” and holding signs that said “Abolish ICE” and “Dignity Over Detention.” Stockton police ordered them to clear the way as the cars departed. Officers left the scene by 7:29 p.m.
The protesters did not block any vehicles as they exited the facility.
Sacramento ICE raid linked to Stockton protest
It was unclear whether any of the vehicles — including several Chevrolet, Ford and Nissan vans — were transporting the 12 people arrested earlier that day by masked U.S. Border Patrol agents at the Home Depot on Florin Road in Sacramento. At least two men in handcuffs were seen being placed into one of the vans.
Eleven undocumented immigrants and one U.S. citizen were taken into custody in the Sacramento operation, according to David Kim, assistant chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector.
Jose Castillo was identified by his wife as the U.S. citizen who was arrested. NorCal Resist, an advocacy group, said he was one of its volunteer observers and was detained while recording the arrests at the Sacramento Home Depot. Castillo’s location was later tracked to the ICE field office in Stockton. Border Patrol agents said he allegedly was arrested for impeding the operation and assaulting an officer.
During the Stockton protest, a man who identified himself as the U.S. citizen who was arrested in Sacramento walked out of the ICE field office around 4 p.m. with a black eye. He declined to give his name or speak to the media.
Stockton residents, leaders demand answers
Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, D-Tracy, sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta and urged his office to investigate the presence and role of Border Patrol agents in ICE operations to determine whether any state or federal laws, or constitutional rights, were violated during the Sacramento raid.
“I question the authority of U.S. Border Patrol operations in many of these enforcement actions,” Ransom said. “As you are aware, Border Patrol operates within 100 miles of the U.S. border — Sacramento and Stockton are both at least 300 miles from the nearest border. Why are they assisting ICE? Is their participation legally authorized?”
The Immigration and Nationality Act grants immigration officers broad authority to conduct enforcement operations, including stops and searches, within a “reasonable distance” from any U.S. border or coastline. That distance is defined by regulation as 100 air miles, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Shortly after Stockton police left the ICE field office, District 4 Councilmember Mario Enríquez — whose district includes the building — arrived and spoke with concerned residents who had witnessed the events unfold. He said his constituents had emailed him and asked him to go.
“I have asked our police department for answers,” Enríquez said in a video posted on his Facebook account. “Our people deserve answers. They deserve their safety, and I want to make sure that our people aren’t afraid of what’s happening. I’m appalled by what’s happening right now.”
The Record has reached out to Mayor Christina Fugazi’s office and city spokesperson Tony Mannor to ask whether city officials knew about the police department’s response before officers arrived and to request the city’s policy on cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
This article will be updated if responses are received.
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: Stockton police respond to ICE facility with batons, face shields after immigration arrests
Reporting by Hannah Workman, The Stockton Record / The Record
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