ICE arrests Colombian asylum-seeker at S.F. court hearing

A Colombian woman was arrested at San Francisco immigration court on Friday after her asylum case was dismissed by the Department of Homeland Security. Judge Joseph Park rejected the motion to dismiss, but ICE agents immediately detained her as she exited the courtroom. The woman, dressed in a powder blue button-up, broke down in tears as her pro-bono attorney, Amanda Maya, provided support and collected emergency contact information. This incident occurred among over 30 scheduled hearings that morning, making her the only individual arrested. The courtroom's atmosphere was tense, following a violent protest outside the court two days prior, where ICE agents clashed with demonstrators.

Local attorneys highlighted that the arrest of a U. S. citizen during those protests marked an unprecedented escalation in enforcement actions. The recent trend of DHS attorneys moving to dismiss cases leaves asylum-seekers vulnerable to immediate detention and deportation despite judicial interventions. As tensions rise, advocates call for a reevaluation of ICE's practices at courts nationwide.