San Francisco

Press Conference Held After ACLU Sues Trump Admin Ahead of ICE Raids

With ICE raids reportedly set to take place Sunday, some churches and synagogues will be opening their doors to those in need of a safe haven.

A press conference was held by community advocates and city officials at San Francisco International Airport Saturday to inform the undocumented community of resources available to them, including free legal council.

"We've been able to stop raids in the past, and we've been able to stop deportations here in California," said Luis Reyes of Pangea Legal Services at the press conference. 

Attendees were also told that the local government would not be cooperating with ICE.

The press conference was held after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a preemptive lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to stop ICE from refusing detainees access to counsel.

The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of the pro bono lawyers seeking access to clients, came after an announcement from ICE that it will not allow access to detainees during its planned raids on Sunday.

Community advocates and San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen are asking public officials, employees and private companies not to cooperate with ICE on Sunday on the basis that the people have a right to counsel.

Traditionally, ICE has used public spaces such as airports to hold detainees, but many public and private agencies across the Bay Area have announced that they will not be cooperating this week--including SFO.

β€œIn the city of San Francisco, a city of refuge, which has historically protected immigrants, and allocated funding for immigrant defense, it is deeply concerning that ICE would violate the rights of individuals to an attorney and due process through politically motivated raids,” said Ronen. β€œMy office stands with the immigrant community and calls on public officials and private companies alike to protect the rights of immigrants by refusing to cooperate in any way with ICE’s policies of family separation.”

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