Bay Area demonstrators protest weekend ICE check-ins in Stockton
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Stockton remained closed on Monday and people who arrived for appointments were turned away, after demonstrators from the Bay Area gathered over the weekend to protest against unexpected ICE check-ins that resulted in the detention of several individuals."It's unusual and to us, it's a red flag," immigration attorney Sasha Novis said of the weekend check-ins. "It's usually an indication of a mass enforcement activity, so we've seen this in some other cities where folks have been asked to report last-minute and some arrests were made. That's part of why we brought some legal support here today, to speak with folks."Novis reported that around 50 people showed up for appointments on Saturday, and at least 25 were detained, including a pregnant woman. "People are definitely very scared, but they understand that they need to show up to comply with the requirements in this case," Novis said.By Saturday afternoon and into Sunday morning, demonstrators gathered outside the Stockton ICE office, questioning why check-ins were scheduled over the weekend when the agency's website lists appointment hours as Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon."If you get that message, you have to come, but we've seen this situation happen before in Tehama and San Francisco in June, where it was also unusual," said Yasmin, an immigrant's advocate. "We knew that it was meant to be something different. Unfortunately, the people who did come yesterday, about 25 of them were detained."On Sunday, several individuals who received unexpected weekend check-in notices described the situation as highly irregular. Three people who KCRA 3 spoke with shared that this was the first time they were asked to show up in person.Yasmin expressed concern, saying, "The fear is that if you did get these very bizarre weekend texts to come and check-in that you may be detained and taken in and not let out despite it just being a check-in."The San Francisco Chronicle reported that some of those summoned are part of a federal program known as "Alternatives to Detention," or the "Intensive Supervision Appearance Program," which allows noncitizens to live at home while their immigration cases are processed. The program now includes about 7.6 million people. Attorneys and advocates worry these weekend check-ins may signal a broader push for mass detentions, similar to recent incidents in San Francisco and Fresno. "They have a pending immigration case, they are already complying with all of the requirements, doing everything that they're supposed to do, and being asked to report," Novis said. "Here is something that they are required to do as part of their case, and they're showing up and doing the right thing and following all the rules, and yet they are still being targeted and detained."ICE has not responded to KCRA 3's requests for comment.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
