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Several people in Alameda County have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials during an apparent uptick in federal immigration enforcement activity over the past two weeks.
At least eight people in the county have been picked up off the street by ICE since Oct. 16, two of whom required hospitalization after being subjected to “the brutal use of force” by federal agents, according to information from the immigrant rights organization Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership.
Of the eight detentions, one was in Emeryville on Oct. 16, one was in Oakland on Oct. 17, five were in Hayward on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and one was in Union City on Wednesday, according to ACILEP, which operates the county’s rapid response hotline.
Additionally, on Oct. 16 at least six ICE agents in multiple vehicles were seen in plain clothes and carrying “visible weapons” near Adeline and 45th streets in Emeryville, ACILEP said in a social media post.
The arrests appear to be targeted operations in which ICE agents are looking for specific individuals, but it’s unclear why so many of them are happening in the southern part of the county, according to ACILEP co-director Angel Ibarra-Nuñez.
“I think we’re seeing more of them happen out in the community where neighbors can witness and record them,” Ibarra-Nuñez said Thursday. “Most arrests are at check-ins, where most people can’t see them.”
The recent Alameda County detentions appear to be “collateral arrests,” where agents are looking for a specific person, don’t find them at a targeted location and then end up arresting people that are nearby, he said.
ICE officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Marquez accused federal immigration authorities of kidnapping people off the streets and said she was “horrified” and “disgusted” by the recent ICE activity.
“I’m very concerned because this is starting to feel like a pattern,” Marquez said Wednesday. “I’m honestly terrified to learn what we’re going to wake up to tomorrow.”
She said local law enforcement agencies aren’t being notified or consulted by ICE so it’s been difficult to keep people informed about what’s happening.
She’s also worried that the enforcement activity might be at least partly intended to stoke fear in the days before the Nov. 3 midterm election.
“This is the third day in a row, that’s what’s concerning to me,” Marquez said Wednesday afternoon.
The recent detentions also coincide with last week’s arrests in California of 28 foreign nationals by the U.S. Department of Justice. All the suspects are green card holders who allegedly committed various election-related crimes, six of whom are Bay Area residents.
The federal government has also filed a lawsuit trying to force California to comply with a request to verify the citizenship of more than 20,000 voters on a list of “likely noncitizens” before mail-in ballots are counted.
Ibarra-Nuñez said numerous people who have been picked up by ICE in the past several weeks have reported being asked pointedly if they’ve voted illegally in the past.
With regard to the recent ICE arrests locally, Marquez said people should remain calm but stay alert. She also reminded people to be careful about spreading rumors of suspected ICE activity that turn out to be regular local law enforcement activity.
“We don’t want everyone to be in a panic but we need to be hyper vigilant right now,” Marquez said. “Their whole motive is to instill this fear and they have no regard for people’s humanity.”
She asked people who witness suspected ICE activity to call the ACILEP hotline at 510-241-4011.
The county also provides services for immigrants and refugees, including legal, housing and family support. More information can be found at the Alameda County Interim Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs website.
Also, people can schedule a consultation with ACILEP to help determine their risk factor for being targeted by ICE agents.
Some examples of people who might benefit from a consultation include those who are scheduled for an immigration check-in, those with an immigration court hearing in the next three months, people who plan to travel by plane and people with green cards who plan to travel outside the United States for six months or more, among others.
— Story by Kiley Russell, Bay City News
